A friend invited me to speak to a Christian gathering at the state prison. I was reluctant. I’d just cared for a parolee who’d promptly returned to drugs and difficulties with the law. He’d died in the emergency department. 

When I accepted the invitation, I received strong impressions about my message: leave repentance alone and talk about forgiveness instead. I noted the Lord’s Prayer made no mention of repentance, only that we should forgive.

The meeting began with an announcement that a former congregant had died. Details confirmed he was my patient. He became more human, not just an ex-con, high on meth, running from police. I hoped God and his recently-returned son could forgive my judgments.

The tenderness of the moment permeated my remarks. The room filled with a powerful spiritual presence. I heard a compassionate voice whisper, “I was in prison and you visited me.”

I wept. I’d seen the Divine where we seldom look. We are more divine than we realize. And, when we serve our fellow beings, we serve God.