Yesterday as my co-leader and I wandered around a hotel on our way to Victoria Falls, we stumbled across some wild-life.
There were zebras, gazelle and even a family of giraffes.
Even though it was absolutely amazing to be so close to the beautiful creatures, it wasn’t the giraffes that captured my attention. It was the multi-million dollar upgrade the hotel is building for them.
A sleek sign highlighted features of the coming giraffe exhibit: a state-of-the-art barn like area with heated floors, specially selected trees and an interactive area for visitors. The project is going to take months to complete at a price tag of about $1.5 million according to the worker who was showing us around. This upgraded, fancy exhibit is going to be quite an impressive project to say the least.
Yet, one thing struck me.
This one glaring truth:
No matter how nice this “exhibit” was going to be for the giraffes…it’s still a cage.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s going to be a nice exhibit. Guests of the Royal Livingstone will probably love it. Hell, I know they will. The giraffe’s’ may feel like they’ve scored the penthouse suite. But the fact remains, even if the giraffe’s trek through enough trees and shrubs, they will eventually run into both a wall and a reality check.
Despite appearances, they haven’t been freed. They’re just being confined behind fancier bars.
The giraffes’ scenario prompted me to reflect on my own life over the rest of the day.
I too have sunk energy and resources into upgrading my cage at different times. In life, I’ve slightly improved my social or financial condition. I’ve worked to ensure things that represent me—my appearance, job title, the way I carried myself —pleased others, outdid those around me, or at least kept me even with the next guy.
Along the way, I always imagine I’m moving closer to contentment. But a few steps in, I slam into reality: I haven’t found freedom at all. I’ve just increased the personal pressure to perform, to achieve, and to be accepted. I’ve dressed up my insecurities and imprisoned myself behind fancier bars.
I’ve resigned myself to fake freedom.
And maybe you’ve done that too?
The appearance of freedom is often dressed up as an upgraded version of captivity.
I can make improvements, but I’m still trapped. If anything, my “improvements” often make my journey harder. I end up with more to prove and more image to manage. I also find myself less willing to ask for help.
In some ways, the giraffes actually one-up me. After all, giraffes are captured and forced into confinement.
Humans, on the other hand, tend to voluntarily imprison ourselves. From pills, clothes, cars, and income brackets to egos, offices, and abusive relationships, we manipulate things to gratify ourselves. We chase something new to numb the pain of repeatedly slamming into cage walls. We fill our life with distractions, both positive and negative, to avoid dealing with how trapped we really are.
But here is the good news. You don’t have to upgrade your cage anymore. You don’t have to pretend that you’re free when you’re really not. You and I can take personal responsibility to stop having the “appearance” of freedom and pursue reckless, dangerous and life-giving liberation if we want to.
Jerry Seinfeld was once asked about his life and he responded, “I am in no place that I don’t want to be.”
And that’s so true of us too.
Today we can finally plot our escape route to freedom. Those giraffes can have their upgrades; we don’t have to any longer.
But it starts with us choosing it. Not just today, but each day.
So today…be free. Not fake.
“For you were called to FREEDOM…” – Galatians 5:13
Thank you all to who have supported me over the past couple of years and my journey’s with AIM. It’s an honor to be able to pour into the next wave of Kingdom Builders the way that I get to. Without you guys, none of it would be possible.
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