Lizard
Most all of us have at one time or another found ourselves in an unexpectedly dark place with no seemingly way out? Just stuck...and feeling trapped by the walls that have no cracks and doors that are too heavy to open without help.
Upon a casual stroll to the mailbox to retrieve my mail, I was immediately startled when I routinely opened the hinged door only to find no mail but a leaping lizard who was probably as scared to see me as I was to see him.
Once I regained my composure, and realized that this critter just surely only wanted freedom, I offered to lend a hand and assist with his rescue. Yeah I was going to try to catch and release. But he would have nothing to do with the help, and it made him ( I use that gender term without PC offense) even more determined to avoid all fingers, and he did all kinds of circus tricks to climb up the to the top and around the sides to and over and under scampering to escape what I only thought to be a helping hand.
After moments of the attempted catch and chase, I finally understood. He would find his own way out....on his own timing if only I would leave the door open and give him space. And sure as can be just a couple of minutes later, I watched as he scampered out to freedom.
If only our entrapments and darkened hideaways could be so easily resolved. This is a story that has been brewing in my mind for weeks, but God has only today given me a hint of a relative lesson that I think merits sharing. God is always the one who opens a door and shines upon us his light when darkness seems to be the cloak that covers our lighted path. Fear and anxiousness and unsettled emotions tend to be a driving force as we sit almost paralyzed in darkness at the idea that there is no hope for a situation that we way may have landed in.
There are many who may come along and want to help, and insist on helping, and even sometimes force their hand upon a situation that they think they can see so much clearer than the one who is stuck. But the reality is God is the only perfect helper. He knows what we need and when we need it and just what it takes to motivate us to take the first step out of darkness. But the only way for us to absorb the freedom from all of those emotional walls that are keeping us in captivity is ... to trust God. Oh sure we can say we get it, we know God is in control and on His throne... we know it to be truth, but it is kind of unfathomable for us to embrace it. Problems are too big, place is too dark, hurdles are too high and quite frankly we are not equipped with strength and power to overcome the obstacles that we have been presented with. These are all lies..... Problems are never too big for God, he is the one who can untangle the most complicated of scenarios, his light can outshine any darkness, his grace covers hurdles of any height, and his strength can out perform any weakness, and his power rules over any and all circumstances.
Wherever you are in your journey of life, you will come across darkness at one time or another. But you must remember that God’s light, even if is is only a flicker in your consciousness, is something that you can always depend on for HIS encouragement and HOPE. You are never alone and if only you and I will trust in what we know, that God is a sovereign God who opens a door to all of us who come to him, he will give us freedom from the walls that bind us. Walls of fear and anxiousness will be dismantled simply by our willful acceptance of faith in God. We are precious children who have been created by God himself, with all of our flaws and insecurities but also with talents and gifts that we may not yet have discovered. He has promised to never leave us stuck in darkness and to give us a lamp to light our path. But that lamp is not a spotlight, only a light to help us get our bearings so that we have confidence to take the next step.
God says, Abide in me, and I will abide in you. So whenever you find yourself feeling trapped by circumstances, and swayed by uncertainty, remember that God is there, right there with you, and he has sent His Holy Spirit to comfort you, settle you, guide you and remind you of his unconditional love and ever present compassion especially for those who are hurting and are feeling trapped. God is the God of peace and will transfer to you HIS peace in the midst of your darkness. Have faith and hope that soon that flicker of light will soon be transformed to be a welcomed open door to freedom.
There is a world outside of darkness....that Christ offers to each of us...and also to his creatures.Just look at the lizard. He made it, but it was not until I stepped away that he had the courage to bolt.
You take your time, and when you feel the urge to knock gently on that darkened door, God will open it slowly, give you time to quietly look around and when you are ready to take on new horizons, he will be your guide.
Courage is at the root of encourage, and it is my prayer for each of you that the spirit of adventure is awakened within you and that faith and hope that transcends all fear will carry you forward to peace.
God may step away from the door and give you some room to move about on your own timing but he always has his eye on you, as you move into His light.
John 15:4
Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
Dear God, thanks for little lessons from little critters.May we slow down long enough to notice the blessings that are about us and the light that is within us. Amen
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