Deuteronomy 32:11(CEV)
The LORD was like an eagle teaching its young to fly, always ready to swoop down and catch them on its back.
While slavery has been banned in most countries, some tenets of its ugly head still continue to rise up, not only in remote and primitive populations, but in civilized cultures as well. In days past, you could tell slaves by how they were dressed; most often they had no shoes, very little clothing, and were branded with the insignia of their owners. These circumstances made it difficult for slaves to escape, for they were not equipped to navigate the tumultuous route and elements they would have to endure on their passage to freedom. In some countries it is still illegal for a slave to wear shoes, making such a person easy to identify and rendering his or her quest for freedom that much more difficult.
It’s hard to imagine that anyone would be in love with such a degrading state of affairs. No one wants to be treated as property or be bought and sold at the behest of a master. This practice is evil and wrong.
However, many may find themselves ensnared in another form of bondage. This bondage does not start with the same entrapment and humiliation of slavery, but the end result is the same. What’s worse, the person is not enslaved by something they hate; instead, they’re trapped by something they love.
We all have been caught up in things that we really enjoyed, not realizing that our fixation was a form of slavery until it became clear that it was bringing about our demise. Only then do we realize we are barefoot and not able to escape, branded with the hot poker of illnesses, fears, and addictions.
Let us thank God, who comes to us and stirs up these places we love so much, allowing us to take no comfort there and pushing us out of our comfort zone. If we were to stay there, we would never know the liberty that comes from being able to soar.
