A month or so ago, our family visited an Audubon Society Raptors Center. What a cool place if you're into seeing birds of prey up close. Big majestic bald eagles, red-tail hawks, falcons, owls... they really are incredible birds. There were nice displays and habitats to give the birds a home suitable to their nature. It was a small place, not like visiting a large zoo, but still enough to make the fee worthwhile. I would imagine that alot of school groups go there for educational field trips.
The last stop of our tour of the center was back in the main house where there were several smaller raptors on display with no cage or glass to keep them contained. Instead, each one was chained to a post to keep them in their place. One of the workers came out to introduce us to the house and the birds and whatnot. One of the things she said was "We're not being inhumane to the birds by having them chained down. They've had these chains since birth, so it's the only life they've known." They weren't chained up all day. In fact, they were only in the chains about eight hours a day - during visiting hours. But this got me thinking.
Those of you who know me know that I relate alot of our Christian experiences to parables, similies, stories and the like. As soon as she said those words "It's the only life they've known", I began to think about our own chains. Similarly, we are born into a world of sin, and so in a way, we also have these chains fitted to us from a young age. The chains clasped around the raptor's legs kept them grounded, kept them from being what they were created to be. They would probably love to fly off and do the things that a raptor does instinctively. But having been chained most of their life, do they begin to feel as though these chains were a natural part of their existence? As if, somehow, the chains were just another part of them. Not something external to be shed, but something so familiar that they allow it to define what they are and how they act. I think you can see what I'm getting at here. What are the chains in our lives? What have we allowed to hold us back, to keep us grounded from being what it is that God created us to be? Have our chains become so familiar to us that we don't try to shed them anymore? Do we even recognize them as chains at all?
As Christians, we have been set free. Free from the bondage of sin. Free from being clasped to the post of an unfulfilled life. But sometimes the familiarity of the chains is all we've known and instead of walking away free, we try desperately to refit the clasps around our legs. We're surprised to discover that they won't lock anymore - Jesus has destroyed the tumblers, if you will. So instead we hang around the place of our captivity, slowly venturing out further and further with each passing season, until one day we realize we really ARE free. And we began to fly and soar on wings like eagles.
Let today be that day. We really are free!
3 comments:
Wow, Rodney, what an insightful post. I know I have these areas in my life, if I can only realize it. The crazy thing is the chains are sometimes actually more comfortable than venturing out into unknown territory.
Judd and I laughed so hard at your comment on my blog. Give Kim a hug for me. BTW, you are syndicated-You're in my Google reader!
Great post! The Mahuts (elephant trainers) in India tie a chain to the feet of baby elephants that chain is anchored into the ground. When they are young the elephants try to get loose. Soon they give up. The Mahuts then only use small vines held in place by a small wooden spike. The elephants never try to escape again.
What an amazing story. As I read I invisioned these birds sitting mindlessly on a perch unaware that their chains were not there and flying only so far because they had been "trained" by the pain not to go any farther. How often do we do this in our lives? Thanks for the provoking thoughts.
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