The Cell

The icy cold floor sent shivers through Zoe's feet, enough to cause a trembling effect on her body. Zoe took intermittent, steady breaths as she stared at the metal bars before her. The smell of the cold damp cell infused into her body reminded her of a familiar desolation she once knew. Once knew. Yet here she was, in that all too familiar room. 

Have I not been released out of this prison cell? 

She thought to herself as her hands reached out for the metal bars before her. She clenched the bars tightly. As hard as she fought to hold it back, tears began to roll down her cheek. 

Where are you when I need you now? And why am I in this cell again?

She screamed in the dark imprisonment of her thoughts. She felt the heat of her anger began to counter react to her body's shivery sensation. She shut her eyes tightly as floods of memories came crashing in. 

Zoe revisited that fateful day when that particular man walked into the prison cell, stretched out his hand in between those cold metal bars, called out to her by name and said these very words to her,

"Zoe, I know you and I love you. I know your loneliness and your pain. I want to rescue you. Would you accept my offer to save you? Come, come and feel the warmth of freedom".  

Zoe could not comprehend who this person was. 

Why would he want to save me out of this prison cell? He loves me? Really? Is there really such freedom? 

Yet the gentle sincere voice of that man moved her inner spirit. Zoe remembered how she inched step by step toward the metal bars that stood between her world and the world of that man. As she draw close enough, she slowly lifted her hand and reached out to feel the warmth of his hand. She touched his hands. The warmth of freedom broke the chains of her desolation and loneliness. Tears of joy burst forth as the darkness of that room was broken with the light of peace, love and freedom. 

Zoe opened her eyes as if jolted from a stupor. Slowly, the grip of her fingers on those metal bars dissipated in strength. Her fit of anger withered down. Then, something strange happened in that prison cell. 

From the corner of the room, a ray of sunlight beamed into the prison cell from a crack above the ceiling. Then Zoe saw a figure moved at the corner of the room. As the figure walked closer to the metal bar, it was then that Zoe realized who that figure was. Zoe's eyes were now enlightened to what was actually happening.

The figure was now stretching out her hands in silent desperation between the metal bars, which stood between the world of the dark prison cell and the world of light, simply to touch the warmth freedom of  Zoe's hands. 

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We often view our current reality of circumstances as "obstacles", "trials" and "testings", which I'm sure are true. However, we also often forget the fact that we are the ones who have tasted and experienced spiritual freedom that many have not. Allow me to challenge you today to look intently at your life and begin to realize that no matter what situation or circumstance that you may be confined to right now, you are the one who has been freed and you are the one who is now called to free others from their imprisonment. 

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. 

Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be 

burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 

Galatians 5: 1