Captivity: 21 March 2010

"Untie him and let him go."
( John 11:44)

Now that spring has officially arrived, yard clean-up time is once again upon us. Our clean-up efforts are in full swing here along with beginning to get the flower beds and raised vegetable gardens in some sort of eye-appealing order. After all the snow melted in our yard it was amazing how much "crud" and gravel and chunks of dirt were piled up on the lawn as the result of snow plowing - both the driveway and from the township road plowing. It would be so easy to procrastinate and save the yard work for another day, or week, or month but it does need to be done so that new growth of lawn and plants and flowers can emerge and be suffocated out by lack of sunshine and nature's nutrients. As I looked at the all too many piles of dirt and stones scattered about our yard, the phrase "Set me free" popped into my head. And I ponder being set free.

There may be a great many things that can cause us to feel "bound" or captive. Things like dysfunctional and/or broken relationships, guilt trips, being caught in the trap of thinking we have to live up to someone else's expectations, regrets of past choices, doing certain things merely out of a sense of obligation with no real "heart" in it on our part just because someone or some entity says we have to, and on and on. All these things and attitudes have the potential to suck the life out of us and deter or prevent us from being our true selves - the beloved creations our Sacred Creator intends for us to be.

As Lazarus was raised from the dead and called out of the tomb, he had to have the burial wraps untied to be set free once again; to live new life once again (John 11). What actions can we make to loosen any ties that negatively bind us - in our thoughts, our actions, our relationships and from our relationship with the Divine Presence that is so deeply and lovingly woven into the tapestry of our lives? It may be hard and painful inner work, but just as the blisters from all the raking will heal, the reward of healing and wholeness is well worth the effort.

Peace on the Journey.