Release from Captivity

My youngest daughter is taking a religion class in college. In anticipation of a test on the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) this week, she asked me to explain it to her. A daunting task, I still looked forward to our time together. To prepare, I drew a diagram. (It’s what I do!) 

I knew, despite the early chapters of the Bible, it all began with the Exodus, the moment God delivered the Hebrew people from captivity. As I walked through the rest of the Bible, I saw deliverance from captivity was everywhere I looked. It seems to be what God cares most about. I found myself no longer thinking about my daughter’s upcoming test, but the ways I’ve been held captive in my life, as well as the countless ways God has sought to release me.

Captivity comes in all shapes and sizes. It can be found in a job that holds us in chains, a relationship that gives us little room to breathe. It can even be found in circles of friends that require certain norms to be considered worthy of membership. 

Our real captivity, however, lies deeper. Our real captivity lies within, not without. The need to be good enough, to feel lovable, are perhaps the thickest chains that bind us. No matter how hard we try to break free, no matter how many kinds of keys we put into the locks, we’re left, like the Hebrew people, to learn that there is only one who can release us from captivity. 

It’s all over the Bible, it’s all over my life, and I’m grateful to my daughter for giving me the opportunity to remember.