An interesting question was posed at bible study this week...
Was Paul in prison, or did he have an office and a personal assistant?
This question took me off guard. Paul was in prison several times throughout his ministry. Prison is no fun (at least I can only imagine) and the ability to go to the world and spread the gospel was hindered. I suspect the person asking us this smiled inwardly since I wager most of us had this perplexed look on our face.
He paused for a moment and then continued. Paul wrote four of his letters while in prison. He had plenty of time and resources in which to pen these profound letters, something he might have not if he was traveling and preaching. He had a captive audience while in the jail in which to connect and share the gospel with. This was the case in Phillipi when he ministers to the jailer after the earthquake.
The matter at hand becomes perspective. We are reminded in Romans 8:28 that “...we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” This verse doesn’t make light of the situations we are in. Prison life was no walk in the park, and yet through those times letters were written that inspired Christendom for centuries to come.
No matter what cycle you are in with life, bear in mind what perspective you have. As you look out the window of your current circumstances, are you stuck in a dreary rainy day? Or are you given an opportunity to slow down from the business of life, identify the beauty of the individual raindrops on your window, and reflect upon their uniqueness and beauty?