Samson
Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
II Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Above is a picture of my miniature Schnauzer, Samson. He is almost 7 years old, but is still a big baby. He evidently didn’t listen when we told him who he was named after. Or maybe he just heard the part about when Samson’s (the one in the Old Testament) hair was cut off and he lost all his strength. Samson the dog is afraid of just about everything. When it thunders, I think my leg grows velcro, since he pretty much stays stuck to it. He’s afraid of any loud noise, (or quiet one for that matter). He runs the other way when the wind blows. The fireplace completely freaks him out. He lives much of his life in fear…poor thing. And as much as I talk to him about it…he either doesn’t listen, doesn’t understand or doesn’t care.
So here’s the thing. Samson the dog reminds me of Debbie the Christian. And here’s why. Samson lives in my house with me, but inside this house is Samson’s house…his crate. He has been crated since we got him at 6 weeks of age. His crate, he believes is his place of safety. The one place that he can go where nothing will hurt him. Not thunder, noise, wind or the fireplace. When it’s time for Samson to go to his crate, I offer him something. A treat. As soon as he hears me getting it out of the cabinet (he’s a smart dog), he RUNS to his crate. The other day as I was doing this whole thing with him, it dawned on me. WHY IN THE WORLD ARE YOU IN SUCH A HURRY TO BE LOCKED UP IN A CRATE? When he could have the whole house to stay in, he WANTS to go into that little crate. And not just that, but what did it take to get him to go into the crate? A small treat. But, even though it was such a small thing it was something that he WANTED and willingly went into the crate for. Went in to that tiny place where he thought he was safe…but was he?
What things do I love so much that I follow them right into a place of slavery? Most likely it is the same thing, over and over again. The enemy of my soul knows what it takes to get me to go in and holds it in front of me every time. Knowing that I will follow him back into that place. It is a place that I have been so many times, just like Samson. And even though it’s a place of slavery, we do it so many times it begins to feel normal. It feels safe. I willingly go in and just sit there…waiting to be let out again. Strongholds in our lives are that way. It could be many things that take us to a place of slavery. Fear, condemnation, guilt, food, self-loathing, insecurity, pride, jealousy and a million other things that you could add. We each have that “thing” that the enemy holds in front of us luring us, without much effort, into our small place of slavery. But, Jesus came to set us into spacious places. Psalm 31:8 says, “You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.” He wants us to stay in the place where we are most free…the place where He leads us. And the only way to do that is to keep our eyes on Jesus and not on that “thing” that is doing it’s best to lure us in.
After watching Samson day after day after day go into that crate with only a small treat to get him there….I made up my mind. I REFUSE to keep being led by the enemy into that restricted place he desires to take me. He doesn’t want us in the small place of slavery, where the stronghold takes us…looking out wishing we were in the spacious place. My Master and yours wants us to look and listen to Him and stay in the spacious place where there is freedom.
Every day Samson goes into his crate, willingly…several times a day. Every day I will choose to NOT go into that crate of slavery, but instead will stay out…where it’s spacious and full of hope and joy. I’ll let Samson go into the crate…maybe I’ll give him 2 treats tomorrow…smile.
Determined to stay in the freedom of the spacious land &
Sending much love,
Debbie
