Lifetime Daily DevotionsSample

Imprisoned But Choosing Freedom

Your life is a mess?

Your days are filled with hassles and pressures?

There are times when the pain is so intense physically or emotionally that you want to fall into a limp heap on the floor and yell "uncle" or disappear into the darkness of the closet and close the door?

The circumstances cannot be changed.

You're in them and there's no way out.

The door is locked.

Let me give you a word of encouragement.

* * *

What do we mean when we speak of the "soul"?

Well, the word "soul" comes from the Greek word psyche, referring to the invisible part of you, your personality (your mind, your will, and your emotions). Your soul is the real you--the person who laughs and talks, yells at the ball game, cries at sad movies, and sorts out all the information that comes into your mind.

There are people who are physically handicapped, whose bodies don't function as they should, but their soul functions. Its like they're in solitary confinement. There isn't any vehicle through which they can talk to the outside world. Their defective body has imprisoned their soul because of its inability to receive messages from the soul or give messages to the soul. But the soul is all right--the "real" person.

Keeping that illustration of the soul in mind and realizing that the soul can be "separated," so to speak, from the body, consider this verse:

Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper; The snare is broken and we have escaped.
Psalm 124:7

Do you see that though you may be mired in difficult or even tragic circumstances, your soul is capable of escape?

Do you see that your ability to think and to choose, regardless of your circumstances, is free?

Oh, you can't choose to walk away from those circumstances, but you can choose to not let them control your thoughts.

Your soul is free to wander where it will. The physical limitations that have been imposed on you in this world cannot place limitations on your soul.

You choose with your free will what you are going to set your mind on.

Of course, your emotions won't understand--they dont have the capacity to understand, remember? They just feel.

But you have been set free!

For prison bars
cannot control
the flight
the freedom
of my soul.