Chains

This, out of all the chapters in this book, is the one that screams out to me in so many places that I could probably write five different posts on it alone. Every other paragraph seems to apply to me. Every single poem seems to touch a nerve. If this had been the only chapter in the entire book, I still would have paid full price for it. This chapter stirs something in me every single time I read it.

Let's take a look at the author's theme of being in chains:

"i am drowning in awareness
and yet never quite aware
that the chains i fashion every day
are the very ones i wear."

When Claire first got the copy of her book in the mail I said to her, "Just open it to the chapter called Chains and read that first poem." I could NOT stop turning back to it. I would find myself reading and re-reading that little four line poem over and over again. When you hear truth there's no denying it. And that poem is truth.

"Sinners become enslaved by their sins. And freedom can only come through Jesus."

I bet this is the single greatest concept that non-believers will ever fail to understand. You can tell someone over and over and over again that Jesus is the only way out of all their pain but darned if you can get them to believe it. Maybe if they try such-and-such again or what about that new book someone wrote...surely that has the answer to their problems. Oh, if only it were true!

"Here is the paradox of the thing we call freedom; the farther we wander from God and the more we try to break free from him, the more enchained we become."

This line in the book just makes me smile from ear to ear. We keep pulling and God keeps pulling back and we pull harder and God pulls harder. It is the ultimate tug of war game!
How incredibly silly we are to think we can separate ourselves from God if it is His will to have us as His children!

"The crack of dawn at Easter was really the sound of chains falling away."

That was exactly what Easter was for me this year. There I stood on Palm Sunday beneath the arms of three of my pastors as they poured water over me from head to toe to welcome me into the family of God and all I could think of was, "I'm finally home. I'm finally free." I didn't think anything would ever be more emotionally riveting that than day for me - but Easter Sunday hadn't come yet...

"I am my own prison
and you are the only key."

We are our own worst enemies, you know that? We are so consumed by our private addictions and our sin nature that we'd be nothing - absolutely nothing - without Him as our Shepherd, our Father, our Protector. I read something once that said, "The main reason for life is so that we have time to make a decision about God." I really believe that's true. He wants us to choose Him - we know that for a fact. He doesn't want to just make a bunch of puppet people and have them stand at His feet bowing down to Him all day. He wants LOVE. He wants to be worshipped by people that had a choice and then chose Him.

CJ was saying the other day that everything about God is so wrapped up in mystery and I think this is why. If it was totally clear that He is who He says He is we'd never have to think about it and that thinking would never lead us to the need to make this all important choice. God is the "I AM" and this is the "AND WHY."

All these parts of the chapter were great and I loved every last one of them but my favorite line out of all of these was this one:

"But as anyone who's ever fought with God can tell you, God doesn't lose and he doesn't surrender."

And all I can say to that is AMEN because where would I be today if He did? My Father fought for me. I know this with all my heart. He fought long and He fought hard and in the end, Oh sweet Jesus, He won me over! Goodbye my chains!!!