You have been endowed with a Divine Spark in God's Glorious Tapestry

Having Tunnel-Vision can be a very scary thing - especially when you are in the middle of the tunnel where the sunlight is hard to find. I tend to panic in tight enclosed spaces, and I realize that getting out of the tunnel can be a freeing, euphoric experience. For me, the tunnel doesn't have to be physical, it can be a fixation that I cannot break, even if I am being suffocated. By stepping out into the light and seeing the tunnel from the outside-in can be a freeing, glorious feeling. Sometimes we feel trapped by our own mistakes, our surroundings, and others who may do us harm.

Motivation:

Acts 12: 6 - 11

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists.

Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."

Diary:

I read this in a devotional book on Tuesday morning. It was written by Lenore Three Stars, a woman from Lake Stevens, Washington: "Peter's extraordinary prison break boggles the mind. I was amazed that the Lord's angel, who appeared in Peter's cell with a shining light, had to smack Peter on the side to wake him up. Then the chains fell off and iron gates released their locks. It was less a prison break than a stroll, right over the guards and out the door. As Peter recognized the magnitude of his rescue, that it isn't a dream after all, I can almost hear his heart pounding. Thank you for rescuing me, for pulling me out of the pit and setting my feet on the solid rock. Amen"

Peter was in prison in Acts 12 due to nothing of his own fault. King Herod had arrested him in order to persecute him. He previously had James put to death by the sword, so there was a history if King Herod being not such a loving and caring dude. The one thing to note during this time is that while Peter was kept in prison the church (aka, his friends, family, and those who loved and cared for him) were earnestly praying for him.. and he was rescued.

Prisons don't have to be made of iron and steel, nor do they require gates, guards, locks and chains. Sometimes prisons are built from our own "tunnel vision", a sense that we want, need, deserve, or are owed something that we do not possess. Sometimes prisons are built by misunderstandings between flawed humans, mistakes that are made that cut deeply and stick close to our hearts.

One of my favorite movies (the favorite movie) is The Shawshank Redemption. When I am so sad and lonely and feel like the world is against me, I watch this movie. I used to think that this story was about Andy - the man who was falsely accused and spent his time trying to make sense of how and why he was put into a place that he did not deserve. I used to think that I was like Andy, I wasn't sure at times why I was in the prison and yet lived my life, helped people, and did what I thought was right. He had to go into the tunnel and back out again to make his life right, no one would help him to get out of the prison that surrounded him.

This time around, as I watched, I think I am starting to see the movie through Red's eyes. It is so easy to lose Hope and Faith when you are in the prison, to the point that you forget the things that used to make you happy. Red may say that he has given up on things like Hope, but you can tell through his actions and his nature that he still cares for and seeks out his friends and looks to his friends (who are also all in prison, by the way) for guidance and support. When he finally gets out, it is not of anything he does, in fact by the time he is granted his parole, he has lost all interest in attaining what he always thought was his greatest reward. Only then were the chains set loose, and his freedom is restored.



We, as Andy and Red, are at times in our prisons - regardless of our guilt or innocence in getting there, and we have choices to make while we are there. We don't have control over the conditions at times, the guards, the gates, the walls are there, but it is what is inside of us that we can use to endure painful times. We can look to each other for help, and to God-given gifts such as Faith, Hope, Love, and Grace. Those are always there, we may not see them in our tunnel-vision.

SIMPLE IS NOT EASY

At my work, we discuss a lot about "Hindsight" vs "Foresight". If we all had perfect Foresight in Business Strategy and Product Pricing, we would always make a maximum profit - however, it is not possible to always know exactly what to sell, the price to sell, when to sell, or who to sell to. We have to use Hindsight at times to see what we could have done to make more revenue, although since that time is past, it is really just a verification study of historical data.

The same is true in our lives - we have lots of perspective about our past - but very little perspective as to our future. We don't know what specifically is around the corner, and that is part of what life is about. We are in some extent, a compilation of our mistakes, trials, and what we have overcome. It is easy to let life get the best of you and hold you down - you may want to run away from the future, knowing to some extent that the future will hold some pain and heartache. I have news for you - your future does and will hold pain and heartache for you - that is simple universal truth - and remember that Simple is Not Easy.

There is another truth, however that you need to consider:

Fear can hold you prisoner, Hope can set you free.

By using Hindsight, we can see times and places where we, like Peter in Acts 12, have been rescued. Sometimes we are rescued in mysterious ways, and I have found that prayer in some what has been a part of my rescue experiences. Only after some time do I find how people were moved to work through prayer or through a calling to help me. I take comfort in the mysterious ways of the world - a Royal Tapestry that has been created for us.

You have been endowed with a Divine Spark in God's Glorious Tapestry. I don't know that this is a direct quote from my friend Dave B, but it is what I heard him say. It hit me in a point in time that I was having tunnel vision. I was so fixated on something I thought I deserved that I missed the fact that maybe if I got what I so wanted, perhaps I would lose the freedom that I cherish. I felt so trapped by my prison that I lost track of the things that I am, that are inside of me that the world can't touch - my gifts for myself and my gifts to others. What a blessing to be reminded, what a freedom to be rescued. Yesterday I felt lighter, as if chains were removed from my arms and shoulders and I could breathe easier. I haven't yet decided what I want to do, but I am reminded of the type of person I am and the things that I truly enjoy.

So, my challenge to you this week, my friends, sounds corny and probably is, but it is to "Be the Miracle" for others. What gifts have you been given that no one else has that makes you unique and special? What are you doing with those gifts to further yourself and others? What needs do you meet to those around you? What can you do for others that will make them feel as special as you are? You have been endowed with a Divine Spark - something that you can use to reach others and make them better than when before they found you. (Thanks Dave B for pointing this out to remind me.) What a concept! Just by meeting you, someone else can be healed in some way - by witnessing the Hope that exists inside of you. Even if you feel like you are in your prison, just like Red and Andy, you can be for others "brightly feathered" so the places you live can be less drab and empty.

This Divine Spark - it is a powerful thing that you possess, and can be used to help people and build up, or to harm people (including yourself), and to tear down. It is important to consider your strategy carefully. (I may write about this concept of "Strategy" further, as I have had many conversations recently about this and it is fascinating.)

I don't attempt to know what your prison may be, if it is a stressful job, a hurtful relationship, a sense of loss, a financial burden, a friend in need, or something indescribable. It is important to remember that this prison is temporary, and while it may feel as if you are abandoned, you are not alone. Seek others, reach out and take a look around at the world.

There is light at the end of your tunnel, although you may currently not see it. The key may be to shine your Internal Spark and look for ways to see the tunnel for what it is: a passageway under or through. The tunnel is not the destination, but is a part of the journey to an ultimate goal.


more later,

Chazz

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