Let the caged bird fly

I want you to picture yourself standing in a field; it's a wide open field and you're the only one standing there.  But then you see Jesus walking in the distance.  At first He seems so very far away.  But He keeps coming closer and closer and closer.  And then you realize that He is walking straight towards you.  And then, to your surprise, He walks right up to you and looks you straight in your eyes.

Now I want you to picture you holding your heart in your hands.  It is fully of all the emotions you have experienced in your life - some beautiful, others painful.  You hold it in your hands, broken and damaged.  But despite all of that, you hand your heart over to Jesus.  You are afraid.  What will He do with my heart?  But that fear melts away as He takes your heart in His hands.  He holds it as if He held the most precious of jewels.  He holds it in a way that He will never let anything happen to it.  And then He takes your heart and puts it inside of Himself.

Then, with His eyes locked on yours, He pulls His heart out and hands it to you.  It is His heart of love for you, His heart of healing.  And He says, "All my love is for you my daughter.  I give it all to you, because you are worth it!  You are worth all the love that I have in my heart.  You are worth it."

I led the girls in the prison through this encounter with Jesus.  They were 25 girls, sitting around one long table, heads buried in their crossed arms, bodies heaving with sobs, tears running off their faces onto the tables.  In front of them lay the art pieces that they had just finished drawing. Each started with a big circle divided into slices.  And then they either drew or wrote out different feelings that they had experienced in the recent years of their lives. Expressing their inner world on a blank sheet of paper.  Unlocking something that has been stuffed inside for many years.

I sat next to one of the girls as she worked on her story expressed in this circle.  I watched tears spill off her nose as she wrote the cold, hard words across the white sheet of paper...
Sadness
Desperation
Shame
She continued to draw pictures of her being abandoned, abused, and imprisoned.

We have been going to the girl's youth prison for 6 months now.  It has been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life to watch these girls unfold.  On first meeting them, they entered the room with tough facades,  unbreachable walls, and emotionless eyes.  How will we ever get through?

If you ask any one of them - if you could be an animal, what would you be and why - every single girl will respond - a bird so I can fly away from here.  If you ask any one of them - if you could do anything in the whole world, what would you do and why - every single girl will respond - just get out of here.  It has crushed my heart to see God's daughters not only locked behind physical prison walls, but also locked inside of their very souls, unable to see any way out.  They long for the immediate freedom from jail, but cringe at the thought of true freedom.  Freedom is such a foreign concept to them.  It's an impossible reality... and it's terrifying.  Better to stay locked up behind the bars that they have built for themselves, than risk opening up to freedom and getting hurt.  Or so they thought.


The soft sound of worship music played in the background as we tried to hold one weeping girl after the other.  There were only 3 of us able to minister at the prison this time.  How could we comfort them all?  But Holy Spirit was there ministering as we prayed over each girl, stroked back her hair, and told her that Jesus was healing her heart.  Although this was such a heavy time for them, I truly believe these girls walked away  with a new hope in their hearts.  Maybe for the first time in a long time they had unlocked the prison where there emotions had been held captive.  Maybe they were able to release the pain of being hurt, abused and abandoned.  Maybe they felt God's love wrapping around them in a way that undid the pain of life and healed the deep scars.  I don't know for sure, but I have faith to see these beautiful little birdies find true freedom.  One girl said at the end, "I did see Jesus.  And He told me that He loves me."

Are we not all birds locked up inside our own cages?  We are offered freedom, but we choose bondage instead because of the fear of exposing our emotions and getting hurt.  We may not be in prison like these girls.  Nevertheless, our eyes look out between bars, never really knowing freedom.  But if we do not let down our walls, how can our Savior come in and heal the broken down places?  How can He restore us?  He wants to take all the scattered pieces and create a masterpiece.  He wants to go into the overgrown, chaotic garden, get His hands dirty and bring beautiful order.

We were created for freedom.  We will die if we stay locked up.  Our dreams will die, our hope for a better future will die, our relationships will die, our confidence will die...  I recently read a quote that said, "We think caged birds sing, when indeed they cry."  May we let out the cry for freedom inside of ourselves and hear the cry for freedom in others.  Our God is so good.  He hears our cries.  And He will set us free.  That's the whole point of the cross.

Isaiah 61:1-3

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor

and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion -

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of joy

instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord

for the display of His splendor.