Don't Choose the Poop!

 


Years ago we had the most amazing parakeet named Bella. She was so smart and so friendly. We would open her cage and let her fly about the house with us. She loved to hang out with us at the table, sampling the food on the edges of our plates and sipping from our coffee. Her favorite treat though was paper. Oh how she loved to chew the edges of a piece of paper! Many times my kids had to turn in their homework with a smirk and admit that their bird had eaten it. She also loved digital devices, and she quickly learned that the warmth of her nose would trigger things on the screen. I had her send more than a few strange texts and emails!

 

But her time out of the cage was limited. We couldn’t, for her safety, leave her out all the time. Every once in a while, the strangest thing would happen. We’d open her cage door for her to come out and, instead, she’d hang out on the bottom of the cage, with her poop. Just bopping around, hanging out, missing out on all the fun outside. I feel like, unknowingly, we do this too.

For God wants you to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. Live as free people, not using your freedom as a pretext for evil, but as God's slaves.  1 Peter 2: 15-16

Jesus paid a high price, his very life and connection with the Father, to free us from our sin. And yet, at times, we choose to live in that sin still. We justify it with the knowledge that God will forgive us, and He will, but hanging out there is not His best for us, and it sullies the great and beautiful gift we’ve been given. As servants of God we are free to live full lives of joy and peace. We are no longer bound by sin and shame and instead we can thrive in the open ended options granted us when He broke our chains.

Here's the Thing: Jesus opened the door to your cage. Would you rather hang out on the bottom with the poop or fly out into the world and experience the wonder?

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