We Make the Road by Walking
Chapter 37
The Practice of …..being set free…
The Scripture ….”Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.” Acts 16:26
The Devotion
Freedom is a highly valued state of being… Nobody really enjoys being told what to do or think, nobody enjoys being tied to jobs, relationships, or beliefs that restrict their freedom. As much as we value our freedom we sometimes aren’t quite sure how to avail ourselves of the benefits of being set free.
The scripture for today is in the context of a story about Paul and Silas being wrongfully imprisoned. Rather than fretting or complaining that they are in prison, they sing praises to God. Suddenly, an earthquake flings open the doors to the jail and unfastens the chains that bind them….but destroys nothing else. Paul and Silas use their freedom to free the jailer who would most certainly be killed for letting prisoners go free….even though it was not the jailers fault. For Paul and Silas the benefit of being set free was to free others and in doing so they found freedom themselves ….just as Jesus had promised them they would.
Many of us come to our mats looking to be set free from pain, physical pain, emotional pain…maybe spiritual pain. We experience freedom, the benefits of being set free when we are in God’s presence. We avail ourselves of the opportunity to turn to God with all that tries to rob us of the freedom won in Christ… We feel the freedom through our breath and our asana ……with hearts wide open and hands free, we can share freely with our neighbor.
