While I struggled with my prison cell of circumstances, I was encouraged by the Bible stories of these prisoners, Joseph and Paul. My prison is a far cry from the prisons that Joseph or Paul experienced in the Bible. They were both unjustly accused and yet God brought freedom to their prison. Joseph went from the prison to the palace. Paul had an angelic visitation that set him free to convert his captor. Freedom was inside of them because no Pharaoh, no emperor or religious leader can take what only belongs to you and God—your spirit and soul.
While you’re in prison, you can let your spirit live freely with love, joy, care and peace. Paul was shackled in a hole when he sang a song of deliverance. With shackles and chains and the stench of human waste, Paul found a song in his soul to the One who was unshackled, unchained and unstained by the stench of the world.
Paul and Joseph had a choice to be bitter, resentful or hateful toward their captors. Or they could look to the One who can never be imprisoned or chained. You can blame God for your prison or depend on Him to live in it. God’s own Son was unjustly imprisoned, tortured and horrifically executed by his own choice, for a crime he didn’t commit.
God understands the unjust shackles of a fallen world. His own Son was born under the threat of genocide and grew up in world with military occupation from a foreign ruler. Children are born into a world that can either imprison them in circumstances beyond their control such as poverty or slavery. Our circumstances become our prison cell where we can choose slavery to our captors or freedom in captivity.
What I thought of as my prison is where I found liberty. Liberty to love, to care and to lay my life down for someone who will never be able to pay me back. I’m not a hero, and I still struggle with the demands. Just this week, I had two appointments related to D’Andra’s care, and she was sick. Being at the appointments and taking care of a sick girl took hours away from my job. I had no choice but to take care of her.
I found freedom as I submitted to God’s will in the moments that I wanted to jump in the car and run away. I chose not to run when I felt like I couldn’t be a mom to a child with a disability. I chose to call a friend when I wanted to end my life or seek out professional help.
I chose Him in each moment and I still choose Him. I choose Him in the loneliness and isolation. I choose Him in the failure. I don’t run away from loneliness, isolation and failure. I lean into the discomfort with Him. I lean into the loneliness, isolation and failure by leaning on a community of faith.
If you feel like you’ve lived in prison—a marriage that you don’t want to be in, raising kids that aren’t your children or working in a job that you hate but you have to because you need to feed your family—God knows your struggle. He can set you free inside so no prison, no person and no situation can chain your spirit. Tap into His freedom that He offers you now. That’s the only freedom that I know.
Leilani Haywood is an award-winning writer and online editor for SpiritLed Woman. Look for her book coming soon, Ten Keys to Raising Kids That Love God. When she isn’t looking for her purse, she manages an online Facebook group called “Pray for Your Children” and blogs at leilanihaywood.com. Follow her on Twitter @leilanihaywood.
