Released

"I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free." Psalm 119:32

I carried home a small bottle of five ugly caterpillars. For a week they crawled around their tiny home seemingly doing nothing but making a mess and eating their way into a coma. By the second week they'd had their fill and one-by-one, inched to the top of the container suspending themselves by a thin silk thread. Overnight they'd spun themselves into a nice little sleeping bag so, carefully following the directions, I transferred the sleeping critters to a safe house.

I waited anxiously for them to emerge as the colorful, graceful butterflies I was promised they would become. For days, nothing happened. I wondered if I'd done everything properly. Finally, after a week the first butterfly broke loose from his cocoon and stood on the side of the mesh walls, fluttering his wings ever so gently to dry them. Within a few more days, the rest of the butterflies emerged and were feeding on the sugar water I'd provided. They were perfectly formed, looking nothing like the ugly caterpillars I'd first brought home.

As all wild things in nature do, they too demanded their freedom. With great fan fare from my family, we led them outside to release them from their bondage. With a little coaxing the first three Painted Ladies flew gracefully into the blue summer sky. We cheered and waved good bye as they set out on their way to enjoy the bigger world.

The last two, however, wouldn't come out no matter how much coaxing we provided. They held firm to the side of the walls that held them back from the world. We closed the door and gave them another day to ponder the possibilities of flying free.

God stands at the door of our hearts beckoning us toward freedom through his gift of forgivness through his Son, Jesus Christ. That forgiveness opens the door to the heights of heaven, where abundant life flows; where hearts are unburdened and joyful; where bodies are healed and made whole; where people become who God intended them to be from the begining of time.

If we could only imagine what possibilities God has in store beyond our own walls, we wouldn't hesitate one moment to fly free. God's desire is to release us. Are you ready to fly?