Hope in the Heartland

My life behind bars

By LARRY TIMM

Peabody Bible Church

My time in jail was brief but meaningful. I have a picture that captures the experience in freeze-frame reality. My left hand is clutching one of the black iron bars as I stare out at the camera. In my right arm, I am holding my little son and standing next to me on my left side is my daughter. It was quite a family moment — the three of us peering out from between bars — and my wife on the outside taking the picture.

After that photo was taken, I nonchalantly strolled right out of the jail and into sunshine splashing through the canopy of leafy tree branches above the tiny house of detention. Don’t worry, there was no bloodhound assisted manhunt that followed, nor were there posters that declared “Baby face Larry” to be the FBI’s most wanted fugitive.

My daytime jailbreak was bloodless. There was never any danger to the general public and no animals were harmed in the making of the photograph. If I recollect correctly, the only casualties were the numerous refills of frozen lemonade that flowed in and out of my souvenir mug.

However, more than 30 years ago, I escaped a far more deadly captivity and my escape that time was quite bloody. Moreover, the blood wasn’t even mine. The blood was spilled from the veins of an innocent man. Jesus shed His blood and freed me from the penalty of my sins. And He wants to do the same for you.