"He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous."
-Psalm 146: 7-8

Trapped?

It is the start of a new year, a time for new beginnings, new year's resolutions, and commitments to change our lives in a positive way. These are things that many of us set out to do with each new year but somewhere along the way we fall short. Our 'new beginning' becomes our 'same old self,' our 'resolutions' fail, our 'commitment to change falters. This past summer the Hartsough family had a weekend camping outing at Mirror Valley Retreat Center. On Sunday, as we were preparing to go home, we spent some time cleaning the facilities that we had used that weekend. I was cleaning up the restroom and the time came for me to close the windows, which cranked shut by a handle from inside the restroom. There were several insects on the outdoors side of the screen that would become 'trapped in the window if I closed it. I tried to 'shoo' them off the screen but most of them would not leave or kept returning to the screen despite my attempts to chase them off to safety. Time running short and needing to head for home, I eventually closed them in. They were now trapped!

Our lives can be like that incident that I had with the insects. God offers us freedom from our sins and our failures. He tries to 'shoo' us to safety but so many of us end up feeling 'trapped' by sin or failure. Our focus remains only on what has us trapped and not on all the ways that God has given us to escape it. "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." (Romans 3: 21-26) What has you trapped? Surrender it God and He will set you free (read Psalm 146: 7-9 above and Isaiah 55: 7 below). Place your faith in Jesus and you will be 'justified freely by his grace.' Let your sin and failures go. Without the burden of past mistakes or the anxiety about failing in the future, you will be free to concentrate on doing your very best in the present and live your life to honor God and to show others all that He has done for you. Your life can become a key that can then help others who think that they are trapped. Teach them the freedom that is found in Jesus. Amen!

I pray that all is well for you. Please let me know if you have any prayer concerns or praises. Have a great week and remember to smile :), the Lord loves you!

In Christ,

Shan D. Hartsough

"Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon."
-Isaiah 55:7

Back