Institutionalized

One of my all-time favorite movies is 'The Shawshank Redemption'. If you haven't seen this movie, then you are missing out on an amazing experience. It will give you many themes and messages if you watch it multiple times as I have. Sometimes the word 'hope' will come through. Sometimes the word from the title, 'Redemption' will scream its way into your mind. Perhaps you will watch it and see the themes of 'truth', 'pain', and maybe even 'death' will play out. I've probably seen this movie 50 times either in whole or in part and I always come away with something. It makes me think, feel and question. It's really more than a movie.

I was riding on the train the other day and watching it again on my iPod. Now, we are no longer 'allowed' to do that but I wasn't the actual conductor and was hanging out on the rear unit so I felt ok with it. Let's keep that between us shall we? Anyway, I was watching Shawshank again and a great scene came up that had to deal with the concept of being 'institutionalized'--meaning that one has spent so much time in one place, or institution, that they have no idea how to live outside of those confines.

In the scene prior to the one you'll watch, one of 'Shawshank's' (which is a prison by the way) oldest prisoners, Brooks, receives his parole. To the shock of his friends in the prison, he becomes so distraught with this that he holds a knife to one of their throats thinking that if he kills the man he'll get to stay. It's a powerful moment in the film and later we follow Brooks as he tries to make it on the 'outside'. I won't ruin that for you if you haven't seen the film.

In this scene, one of the main characters, Red, is trying to explain the concept of being 'institutionalized' to his fellow prisoners. It has some language in it that you may not find appropriate, but it is what it is... you've been warned. :-)



I want to make special note of this line from Red:

'These walls are funny. First you hate 'em, then you get used to them. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them.'

You know where I'm going with this don't you? Yeah, I'm going to Church. And if you thought that right off then you are tapping into something that I think is a very important point and I would even say, is a warning for us Christians.

I've spent 39 years in Church. I grew up a preacher's kid, went to Bible college, served both as a youth pastor and head pastor and I've also just been 'Joe attender'. How many times have you felt 'bad' for not 'going to church'? How many times have you felt like you 'did what you were supposed to' because you went to church? How many times have you sat in church and been quite content only to completely freak out when you go back to 'the real world'? I've done all these things... often.

This isn't a diatribe against the Church at all. No, this is more of a warning to you and to me... the members, the 'regular attenders' or even the visitors. I think many of us have been 'institutionalized' by attending church and completely losing sight of what it mean to actually 'live like Christ'. I'm not sure that many of us have a faith that goes far beyond those walls. (I'm speaking pretty hard to me here) I'm not sure that we really could 'make it' on the outside of those walls. Brooks felt he had nothing to offer the outside because he had spent most of his life inside the walls of Shawshank.

You are more than the building you go to. You are more than what the people in that building think of you. You are more than a program or a song. You are more than the sins you've committed and you are more than simply a number on an attendance sheet. You are 'the church'. You are it's body, it's life. You are the very message of love and hope that so many need to see and hear... The many that are 'outside' the walls you worship behind. I often hear and I've often said, 'man, I really have trouble getting up and going to church'. I think the problem is a different one-- I think we have a problem getting up and getting out of church. I think many of us are 'institutionalized'.