A story of Freedom

Freedom is scary! No one I know wants to be locked in a cage. If you ask around, would you prefer to be free or locked up, what do you think they would say? Of course I say I want to be free too! But I wonder if that is really true?

Joslyn, (my 21 month old) is experiencing some freedom issues right now. She can open doors! Oh how this scares mommy and daddy! We never knew how lucky we were when we could close the door and know she could not get out of her room. Or get into the bathroom. Or open the patio door! But now that she has experienced freedom, she wants more! And I can't help but be jealous of her. Life hasn't spoiled her child-like faith yet. Freedom is new, exciting, exhilarating, and not very scary yet. She hasn't gotten stuck in a cage and been told that freedom is impossible, yet. Everyday is still an adventure waiting to be discovered!

But eventually, life breaks our hearts and our spirit for freedom. The Devil uses lies and people to convince us that freedom again isn't possible. That living in the bondage is better and safer. That once we grow accustomed to our chains, that we will be happier on the other side. He teases us with temptations...

"Just look in the window of the room. Just open the door. See the pretty room that has toys that you have only dreamed of. Walk in, it will be fine, you can leave if you want. Just try on the bracelets once, you can take them back off if you want." He tempts you into the room, and eventually you spend all your time there. One day you go to leave and the door is locked. The pretty bracelets that once adorned your arms, turn to chains that rub your skin raw. The valuable toys turn to rubbish and filth. The pretty room is actually a prison with flowery wallpaper. The window is coated with sludge that is so thick you can't dream of looking out. You sit in the dark and pray for a miracle! "How did you get here? Why is this happening to you? What can you do to get out of here?"

Suddenly you hear someone calling your name! His voice is strong and confident! Nothing like the Evil voice that brought you here. A loving voice! It's Jesus! He hears your cries! You sob and say "I'm in here! I can't get out!" He calls to you, but you don't understand Him. He calls again, you start searching the room for the sound! You cry out again! "Jesus, come save me!" He calls again! You realize that you can hear Him better by the window. So you work tirelessly to rub clean the window. The years of filth and grime don't come off easily, but slowly you see improvement. Every swipe of dust lets a little more of His voice in. Every tug of your chains brings you a little bit closer to freedom. Every kick at the door, rusts the locks a little more.

Eventually, you can see out the window! Oh what a sight! People and places that are so beautiful! You see things that seem too good to be true! You almost can make out His voice, but you know that you won't understand Him completely until you get that little window open. Sure it's a small window, you would never be able to fit out of it. But if you could only hear Him, you know He will tell you what to do! He will tell you how to get out! You could call to Him for help! So you work on prying open the window! Slowly day by day you chip away the paint and the cement. You get visits from your captor daily and he showers you with lies. "You aren't worth being saved! You are ugly and unlovable! You are too dirty to be loved by Such a God!" But you have heard God's voice now and you have to open that window! You no longer relish time with your captor, you urn for time with your God! A chance to hear His lovely voice. So you keep chipping away at the window. One glorious day it opens a crack! Hallelujah! You hear His voice in full strength, it is sweet as honey! It almost hurts your lips to say His name but you do! "JESUS! JESUS! JESUS! Help me!"

The people, they hear your pleas! Some turn away because they don't want to see your dirty face. Some cover their ears because they can't stand to hear your painful cries. But others, a few they come over! They peek in the small crack. They say, "We can hear you! We are here!" "I can't get out!", you say. "The door is locked!" "We will help you!", they say. You can hear them tugging at the door handle! So you start kicking the door! Harder and harder til your feet start to bleed. You would give up like before but you hear Jesus calling to you and you hear the voices of the people on the other side trying to get you out. You wonder why they are helping you? They don't know you or what you have done? They won't like you when they can see you? But you keep going. The craving for freedom, out weighs the pain, the temptations, even the captor who is trying to keep you in. You have tasted it and it was good! "CRACK!!!" The door opens! You collapse onto the floor

The light that comes pouring in is blinding! You cannot see anything! But slowly your eyes adjust till you can see the shadows coming to your rescue. Some of them start to work on removing your chains. Some of them bring water and food to your malnourished body. Some of them start to clean and bandage your wounds. But ones that help the most are those that speak to you of Truth. They know that the Captor is yelling at you lies and they sit by your side , trying to drown out his voice. They speak the Words of the Almighty and tell you stories of how they were once like you. "Can it be?, You were once like me?" When your healthy enough to move, they carefully walk you out of the prison. You talk with Jesus daily now and love your time with Him. You relish walking with Him one day. But for now, you get better everyday! Those strangers who helped you escape are now your dearest friends and confidants. They walk with you and talk with you and love you as they are loved by God! The Captor comes around once and a while and he tries to tempt you to going back. But you look down at the scars that slowly heal and at your friends hands which are splintered from the wood of the door. You feel the love of your Savior and you know there is no way you would ever go back. "Get thee away Satan! I am loved, I am worth it, I am perfect in His sight!" And one day you hear a voice! "Help me!" And you smile and run towards the broken voice in the crack....