IP = Imperfect Pilgrim (not incarcerated person)
I was hungry and you gave me food to eat.
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink.
I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear.
I was sick and you took care of me.
I was in prison and you visited me.
Matthew 25:35-36
Last night our women’s spirituality group at the North East Reintegration Center in Cleveland finished up our study of Praying with Jonah: Practices for Imperfect Pilgrims. I never cease to be amazed by the depth of wisdom and faith that the women so openly share. Recently, one of our friends in the group made this poignant observation:
“Do you know what IP stands for here in the prison?” she asked.
“No, I’m sorry, I don’t. But I’m curious,” I replied.
“Well, on many of the forms and lists here in the prison, there is a category called IP, which stands for Incarcerated Person. Sometimes when we are in a group, we are simply referred to as the IPs. I really hated that term until I saw the subtitle of your book and realized that IP could also stand for something different. I am now going to see the letters IP as Imperfect Pilgrim! I like that much better! So now whenever I hear the term IP, I remember that I am far more than just an incarcerated person. I am one of God’s beloved Imperfect Pilgrims.”
Wow.
We are so much more than any single category or term that may be used by others to define who we are. We are all Imperfect Pilgrims, bumbling our way through this sacred journey of life.
Yet so often we make generalizations and jump to conclusions about who someone is based on only one part of their identity. I have found that this is especially true when it comes to our neighbors who are in prison. We see the proverbial speck in their eye and miss the log in our own.
There is a wonderful program called the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice that offers an opportunity for open, face-to-face encounters between those of us who live both inside and outside prison walls. These encounters remind us that, beneath whatever labels or circumstances may separate us, we are all God’s beloved, Imperfect Pilgrims.
As part of the program, we enjoy dinner together, share a bit of conversation, and then take a short tour of the facility. I will be attending these two Frederick Douglass Project events in November and would love to have you join me:
Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville — November 16 (Mon), 1–3:30 p.m.
North East Reintegration Center in Cleveland — November 19 (Thu), 5:30–8:00 p.m.
If you are interested, you do need to register several weeks in advance of the event in order to complete the necessary security approval. Let me know if you are interested, and I’ll send you the information you need to get registered.
Let us remember that we are all IPs, Imperfect Pilgrims, who are precious, beloved, and beautiful children of God.
