A few days ago, I was at a unique graduation ceremony. It took place in a prison where 16 inmates were being celebrated for completing a program that was preparing them for life after prison.
We’ve all got one.
The graduation began with a moment where each graduate holds his mugshot in front of his face. As a song is played, one at a time each man pulls down that mugshot and then looks at it.
In that mugshot, you could see a piece of their past. But if you could meet these men now, and see the look on their face, you would see a piece of their future. They are transformed men.
As I watched that scene unfold, my mind was captured in thought. We all need to show our mugshot. We have all had seasons in our life when we were a version of ourselves that was quite unbecoming.
At some point we have been broken, bitter, confused, hurt, selfish, angry, or lost. In these seasons of our life we were tough on the people in our life. Intentionally, or unintentionally, we did harm to others.
For some people, our mugshot was created because of the harm that was done to us. It’s not about being a victim, or having an excuse. It’s about truth. Many people end up in dark places because of the things that were done to them.
In my mind, our mugshot represents the brokenness of our lives, and the moment that our life becomes trapped in a prison. This prison can be literal or metaphorical. I’m not sure which one is worse.
Why we need to show our mugshots
- It helps us live in freedom.
- It forces us to be honest with ourselves.
- It forces us to be honest with others.
Some may say, “I don’t have a mugshot.” This is the ultimate deception. You have to work awfully hard to hide from the camera to think you have no mugshot.
Admission of guilt comes before the declaration of freedom. This is the advantage that these 16 men have. They have been forced into admission. They have been stripped of everything. Their crimes have been put on public display for the world to see. They have been forced to stand in front of a judge and admit guilt.
Many of us are threatened to hide our mugshot moments. This undermines our freedom and purpose. If you would like to do a deep dive on this topic, I recommend you pick up a copy of “One Step to Freedom.”