Freedom In Captivity

                                     By Vickie G. Paver

Have you ever found yourself in a situation in which you felt imprisoned, set aside, or held captive? Many times these circumstances are beyond our control. Two things can happen when we are imprisoned by our circumstances, "grief over the loss of freedom" or "the realization that we can soar to new heights, because of our confinement." Sometimes we can feel both.

In recent weeks I've found myself confined to my home more than normal, unable to do those things I would like to do. I "felt" shut up in a prison of sorts and the circumstances were beyond "my" control. Lately I have begun to realize that the problem isn't in being limited. The real problem has been in how I have been viewing my confinement. At first, I felt distressed by my inactivity, but as time passed I decided it wasn't the inactivity that was making me downhearted, it was my "view" of being set-aside for this period of time. My view was one of uselessness, accompanied by the attitude of, "what good are you unless you are involved in a flurry of activity." I started thinking about the many people bound by circumstances.

History tells many stories about people have been held captive. In the Bible, in the book of Daniel, it tells the story of Daniel, a young man captured by King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel never complained. He was almost killed because of the king's order to get rid of all the wise men---over a dream he had. I'm sure you all remember the story of Daniel and the lion's den. He certainly could have become bitter, instead of being available to God, even while in captivity. As time went by, God used him in a mighty way and he found favor with the king while in captivity.

Another man under lock and key because of circumstances was Job. Job literally sat in a heap dressed in sackcloth and surrounded by ashes, with boils all over his body, scraping the infection into a pot! You'll know how terrible this was if you've ever had the “pleasure” of having just one boil. It is extremely painful. Think about having boils over every inch of your body, even the bottoms of your feet! Job couldn't do anything about the pain or his captivity by circumstances, except sit and wait - wait until he was no longer set aside - wait on God until this testing was over. However, even during this time, Job never turned against God. He looked to God for help and hope. Job was an example of patience and faith to those around him. Later, Job was restored all that he lost and more.

As I take a closer look at these two people, I feel like I have nothing to grumble about. God has chosen to set me aside from the flurry of activities for a reason. The reason is unknown to me. But, rest assured that God has not just set me aside. He has something for me to do, a lesson for me to learn, and an attitude adjustment is in the process. Totally leaning on God on a daily basis is not a waste of time. I am "free" to do whatever God wants me to do within the parameters of my physical limitations. Maybe God just wants me to slow down and smell the roses, or take that extra time for prayer and Bible reading. Possibly He needs me to have the time to love someone who needs that love.

In today's society, we somehow have the notion that "much" activity somehow gives a person value. How much impact does "activity" have on families, friends or people with whom we come in contact? Is there a purpose, other than money or material things or perfection in all this activity? It seems the more hours we brag about working and not sleeping, the higher others esteem us and think; WOW! What a person. To be totally honest, throughout my life, the people who have had the most impact on me as a person have been people who have been laid aside. I think of my grandmother, who was confined to her home for years because of severe arthritis. She is gone now, but I still think of all the time that she spent drawing little pictures for me on envelopes or scraps of paper. I still have some of those little drawings. I think of the hours she played scrabble with her grandchildren, of the poetry she read and the songs she sang. She made me and others feel special. Also, I remember a cousin who was very young when she died. She was confined to her house and to her bed for the last years of her life---but she impacted a large number of people through her love and listening ear. She phoned people, wrote letters, made cassette tapes. She found freedom in her confinement.

What holds you captive today? What makes you feel set aside? Are you looking at the prison bars of poor health, a nursing home, a wheelchair, a caregiver, or are you looking at the "freedom" within your particular prison? Much of it is in our "view" of things. Maybe we have been slowed down to look and see all that is good around us, to appreciate people more than things or to have time to love.

Time to care---time to listen---and time to love, is not wasted time.