“One aims for dream destinations, unseen and unfamiliar, only to find on arrival that you visited the new home every day along the way.” (anonymous)
In quiet spaces, often away from the intimacy of family and friends, one makes choices that reflect our true human desires, priorities, and needs. We rarely reconcile the patterns of our behavior, the knowledge of potential conflict is too much for even the strongest to handle. We often wrap our choices, decisions, and actions with rationalizations of “little importance,” “nobody knows,” and “immediate satisfaction that will not hurt anyone else;” however, we know in our hearts that is a lie.
I continue to find a truism that my mentors never warned me of; I am trapped by my actions. My patterns of behavior determine my destination no matter what I might hope. My faith exercise determines the tone and strength of my trust. My daily God (god) always determines who is my real God (god). I am trapped and kept in a web completely of my own making. God has given me this power and will not break the chains unless I ask Him to do so.
Solomon talked what happens in the clutches of evil.
“Soon she has him eating out of her hand, bewitched by her honeyed speech. Before you know it, he’s trotting behind her, like a calf led to the butcher shop, like a stag lured into ambush and then shot with an arrow, like a bird flying into a net not knowing that its flying life is over.” (Proverbs 7.21,22,23)
I am caged far more often than I am free!
The mystery is the work completed on my behalf by a God that knows I will turn and then turn again away from Him. His mercy, love, and unconditional acceptance are endless! The warning is clear; it is hard to turn away from what we pursue each day. If one pursues God, He will not less us escape! If one runs away, Evil will accept us with open arms. God will rescue unconditionally, if we ask.
