The things that hold us back...

We all have prisons. My prison was fear.

I was afraid to leave the house. I was afraid whenever a family member left. What would happen to them? What would happen to me? My wonderful imagination would conjure up car accidents galore, usually with no survivors. I can’t imagine the stress I put my body under while these scenarios ran through my mind. It couldn’t have been good.

So, what changed? I had to fight my way through it. It wasn’t a one-and-done situation in prayer. Fear was a daily (and sometimes hourly) fight – a fight to live and experience life outside the house I grew up in. The enemy wanted me bound, but God had a different plan for me.

John 10:10 in the Amplified version of the Bible says, “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].”

If you’ve never heard this verse before or if you wonder what it means, the thief refers to our enemy, the devil, who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (see 1 Peter 5:8). The “I” as in “I came” is Jesus, the One who has abundant, full and eternal life to offer us. Finally, the abundance refers to wholeness – spiritual, mental, physical, emotional, relational, and more!

The enemy wanted to keep me in a small life. He wanted to prevent me from ever getting on a plane, train, boat or subway. He didn’t want me to see the heights from a chair lift on the isle of Capri or the wonders of cave systems below the earth. He didn’t want me to have stories to share from all over the world. But God!

God and I have traveled the world near and far exploring the wonders He created. I remember the moonrise over the Andaman Sea in Thailand. I’ve walked where Jesus and His apostles walked in Israel and in Rome. I’ve seen giraffes cross the road in front of our safari jeep in Uganda. I recall driving up a mountain of switchbacks in Ecuador. Had I not fought for my freedom all this would have been lost – so many missed opportunities!

It hasn’t been an easy fight. Many times I’d lose a battle, but my goal was always to win the war! The prison I found myself in was not where I wanted to stay. Despite difficulties and even the fear of the unknown (what’s on the other side?), I pressed through.

Is everything a cakewalk now? No, certainly not. Are there still fears I need to fight. Yes, perhaps always. Is it worth fighting through the fears to see what’s on the other side? Definitely!

“For the Lord is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” – Psalm 84:11 (New Living Translation)