What’s Holding You Captive?
Jennifer Mahone
Photo by Mitchel Lensink on Unsplash
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though it’s waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Psalm 46:1-3
I have struggled these last 10 days to find the words to say. I knew what God was placing on my heart but I just couldn’t quite get it out. I now understand why. What I write to you is always from personal experience and let me say that it is not always fun to go through certain moments in life but if we never went through then how would we help the next person in line.
In a season of love, family, thankfulness and most importantly, the birth of Jesus, my heart weighs heavy at times. Not for me but for those I know and do not know. I look around and see hurt and pain in the eyes of individuals. There spirits are downcast. The hearts ache. They can not find joy no matter how hard they search for it. Have you ever known someone who just always looked miserable? You always smile at them, and nothing. You try to love on them, and they refuse to budge. You don’t know what else to do except to pray for them. We hand our prayers over to God and hope he can accomplish what we could not. And he can! But there’s still that question in the back of our minds (or at least mine)…What is holding them captive? What caused them so much pain? Where has their joy gone? What was stripped from their heart that has left them feeling empty in this life they now call their prison?
A prisoner lives restricted and under the rules or conditions of the facility in which they dwell. They become so conditioned to a routine and many believe this is the reason why they struggle to live a normal life if and when they have the opportunity to be released from the confines of that place they have been for so long. I read a scripture this morning in Romans 7:21 that said “I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” The bottom line is that we are human. Our human nature wants to do the very things that we think or desire will bring us joy, so we compromise our relationship with God our father and we ignore His word and guidance. We don’t realize it until its too late and we are taken captive by the desires of our inner flesh. And all along God was waiting for us to call on Him for help.
One of the things I like to do in the evening after the girls are in bed and life has calmed down from the rush of the daily routine is grab a hot cup of tea and read the local news for that day. It’s just habit for me. I’m not sure yet if it’s a good or bad habit but I feel the need to do it. So I sit there and read story after story and often wonder if I know or have seen the person in the news reports. I read of children being hurt and I can’t help but to pray and hope that they are ok. I read of people being in a hit and run and I quickly search for a name hoping it’s not someone I know. I am relieved that it is not but here comes the burden in my heart to pray for them. I then see a report of an accident that is not far from me that has taken the life or lives of those in the vehicle. My heart drops and again I pray. Then I come across story after story of robberies, theft, hold ups, and stolen ATMs. Most recently was a story of a young lady who was stealing from her place of employment by loading money on non-purchased gift cards when customers and other employees were not around. The sad part about the story was that she only did it because her family was struggling. What drives a person to become so consumed by their lack that they never take the time to realize their gain?
We stress over the things we do not have and we forget that we are blessed in so many other ways. In this season, when we should be celebrating life and family, we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of what to buy and who to shop for. We stress over finances and spend what we don’t have. We create debt, which leads to stress, stress causes our bodies to breakdown both inside and out, and worst of all…we lose our joy. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of The Lord is your strength.”
We moved about 2 years ago across country. We left everything behind with the exception of our kitchen stuff, dining table and chairs, and our beds. We only brought a handful of clothes and shoes. No comfy couches to sit on, no TV to watch, and a truck on its last leg. But the material things didn’t matter. We had each other and because of our sacrifice, so many other families that we knew in our old state were blessed with things they needed. It took about 4 months before we had a couch to sit on and we thanked God for blessing us with the means to finally get it but the empty space before the couch is what I treasured. I could watch my daughters dance and play for hours across the empty room. You see, sometimes God will allow us to go through certain situations in order to show us what is most important in life. We had each other and that was all that mattered. The couch came and yes we sit on it but from time to time I just can’t help myself. I still stretch out across the floor and thank God for that moment in time that He allowed me to see the true blessing. It was not the things but the time with my family.
We may not realize it but we allow so many things to hold us captive. We struggle with our finances, we struggle with our children, our relationships are falling apart, and we can’t seem to find a way out. Is our life really over? Did you take that wonderful breath of fresh air (ok…it may not always be fresh…lol) but did you breathe new life today? We allow these things to shackle us and we walk around bound by chains that we allowed these things to bind us with. I can share story after story of personal struggles that my family and I have had to endure, but one thing remains, our love for each other. Ask God to removed the chains from your life and restore Joy to you…His Joy! I don’t ever see my struggles as a curse but more of a blessing. I made it through didn’t I? So why can’t you? I am blessed to still be here and honored to be able to share my testimonies to give hope to all who read these posts.
The prisoner at the beginning of this message…well he is you and I. The difference in the story is that we do not conform to the routine of confinement but we experience true freedom through Jesus Christ. When we give our lives to Christ and we choose to trust and have faith that He will see us through, that is when we have true Joy and Hope. You have been in your chains long enough. Drop them and allow God to restore your Joy and Peace. You will make it through!
Be blessed!
Jennifer