And ransom captive Israel....
I was thinking long and hard about being a prisoner. What it means to be captive beyond the physical bars. I was thinking about what lies I have believed, lived in and trusted that inevitable make me captive. If truth sets free, then lies make captive.
Our culture is captivated or makes itself captive...by power, beauty, wealth, security and freedom. All of these principals can be neutral until they are made into idols. We reflect what we worship.
One of the lies that I have believed is that my value as a human being is wrapped up in how I appear. So this lie has permeated how I feel about getting older, how I react to becoming marginalized, if and when I gain weight, how much I exercise, how my clothes fit, when and if I can eat and how I am compared to those around me.
I read this the other day and it rings so true for those who wrestle with body image, eating disorders and self loathing issues.
Food is my enemy as it is my addiction
exercise is my tormentor
clothes are my chains and
comparison is my currency of value
Our isolation cells are just that.
So the truth is
My body is the holy temple of the Holy Spirit.
I am not to worry what I should wear
Beauty is deceptive and charm is vain
Food is for the stomach, it is to be enjoyed
My mind is to be transformed from this culture..the mold where I cradle our 'truths' needs to be broken and my mind needs to be renewed.
I am precious in the sight of the Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.
How this truth will set me free, is my every day prayer. Mindfulness and meditation will break the bars of molded lies that have wrapped around me a suffocating isolation and loathing.
NO MORE , I long to be free.
And you...what lies strangle your joy and hold you captive?
1 comment:
Amen! I struggle with the same...and lately, I grieve over the enlightenment that has come so late. Oh, the wasted time! I know God is gracious with my slow learning, but I still think of what could have been.
I need to be free to accept my failures and be humble. It is my pride that is part of my grief. I thought better of myself than I performed. But God was not surprised...I need to live in the freedom of humility, knowing that what I need is more of Him, not better performance, not penance for things past that I cannot change. Thanks for sharing. Your thoughts were a catalyst for mine.
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