Have you ever seen an elephant perform at the circus? It’s amazing to watch these massive beasts with incredible power doing small, delicate moves. They have the strength to tear down the tents and run to freedom, but instead they stay in captivity and perform their routines.
What’s even more amazing is that when they’re not performing, elephants are often confined with only a small chain tied around one leg. With a quick yank the elephants could break free. But they don’t.
They believe they’re stuck.
As babies, captive elephants are chained by one leg and they aren’t strong enough to break the small chain. As they grow larger, the chain remains the same size. Even though the elephants now have the strength to break free, they don’t know they can.
The same is true in our stuck places.
Many of us feel imprisoned in our circumstances, chained by the guilt and regrets of past mistakes, or unable to find relief from relationship wounds that won’t heal. We don’t believe we can break free.
Here’s good news: The chains that bind us and prevent us from moving forward are broken!
Jesus Christ has set us free! All chains are broken, our sins are washed away. The past is just that––the past. A new life of freedom in Christ awaits, and the only thing standing in our way is us.
Break free and stay free!
Break free! If you’ve accepted Christ as your Savior, your chains are broken. You break the final tie by believing you can take steps forward in that freedom. It may be scary. Change is not easy, even if it’s good change. You may not know what lies outside the circus walls of your current real life. But if you’re heading toward new life in Christ, you’re going in the right direction! And you’re not alone. We’re all on this journey together.
Stay free! Keep moving forward in freedom. Pursue Christ through prayer and His Word. Grow in bonds of sisterhood and stay encouraged. We’re all prone to go back to what we know––where we’ve been––even if it’s not where we truly want to be.
Break free and stay free! Take a step forward. Grow in your relationship with Christ, spending time in His Word and standing firm in your freedom. You have the power of the Holy Spirit within you. Nothing can hold you in bondage if you choose to be free!
“‘If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’” John 8:36
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1
Let’s Talk: Share your story of breaking free or staying free as an encouragement to others. We’d love to hear it!
May I pray?
Lord, often we spend so much time stuck in the same circumstances or stuck making the same choices that we don’t believe we can ever be free from the stress, guilt, regrets, loneliness, or shame we feel. Thank You for the truth that You have set us free! Show us today how we can break the final ties and take a step forward toward You. Give us courage to move in a new direction, to connect with new sisters in Christ, to open Your Word and listen for You. May today be our last day in bondage, for You have set us free and we are free indeed! Amen.
I have been on the end of being full of guilt and not knowing what to do. I have also been in the end of forgiving someone who felt guilty. Both can hinder us from being completely open to God. But the grace and love that pours over us when we ask for forgiveness, can melt the guilt and shame away. Guilt and shame just hinder us from being open with God and his people. It is a doorway that Satan uses to drag us down even more.
If the person who is asked to give forgiveness and doesn’t, that person is holding onto something that is also holding them back. We are called to forgive every time even no matter how great our small the digression is. So don’t let yourself be the one that keeps you back from loving Christ in a deeper capacity.