Captivated & Free

Meditation

Take a deep breath. Slow down your thoughts. Open your imagination. Meditate on these words:

To be born to the eternally free.
To be born into freedom.
To know freedom.
To know nothing but freedom.
To be warned of captivity.
To invite captivity.
To be kidnapped.
To be held captive.
To make the most of captivity.
To yearn for freedom.
To be born into captivity for endless generations.
To be born into captivity
To know captivity.
To know nothing but captivity.
To be promised freedom.
To plead for freedom.
To be liberated.
To be promised eternal freedom.
To make the most of freedom.
To be born into freedom.

[repeat]

Chiasmus

(See numbered diagrams)

This is the story of God.
Of creation.
Of humanity.
This is our story.

This is the story of Adam & Eve in the garden.
Of heaven on earth.
Of tasting freedom.
Of tasting paradise.

This is the story of evil.
Of the deceiver.
Of Adam & Eve in exile.
Of people crushed by the tyrant.
Of longing for freedom.
Of longing for paradise

This is the story of Abraham's descendants.
Of the promise of freedom.
Of the promise of paradise. 

This is the story of Israel in Egypt.
Of the twelve tribes.
Of redemption and prosperity.
Of tasting freedom.
Of tasting paradise. 

This is the story of Pharoah the oppressor.
Of Israel crushed by the tyrant.
Of longing for freedom.
Of longing for paradise.

This is the story of Moses, the man of God.
Of liberation.
Of the promise of freedom.
Of the promise of paradise.

This is the story of leaving Egypt.
Of plundering the oppressors.
Of tasting freedom
Of tasting paradise.

This is the story of being pursued by Pharoah.
Of longing for freedom.
Of longing for paradise.

This is the story of Pharoah crushed by the water.
Of pillars of fire and thunderous mountains.
Of God's words.
Of the promise of freedom.
Of the promise of paradise.

This is the story of manna and quail and water gushing in the desert.
Of unity and family.
Of heaven on earth.
Of the taste of freedom.
Of the taste of paradise.

This is the story of running back to Egypt.
Of Israel wandering in the wilderness.
Of longing for freedom.
Of longing for paradise. 

This is the story of Yoshua the conqueror.
Of Saul, the king of united Israel.
Of David, the protector of peace.
Of the promise of freedom.
Of the promise of paradise. 

This is the story of Solomon, the beacon of wisdom.
Of boundless wealth and fame.
Of the taste of freedom.
Of the taste of paradise. 

This is the story of rejecting God.
Of tyranny.
Of captivity.
Of squaller.
Of longing for freedom.
Of longing for paradise.

This is the story of a solution.
Of a messiah.
Of the promise of freedom.
Of the promise of paradise. 

This is the story of Christ.

This is the story of the giver of paradise.
Of the giver of freedom.
Of the chosen one.
Of a plan. 

This is the story of the hope of paradise.
Of the hope of freedom.
Of leaving squaller.
Of leaving captivity.
Of freedom.
Of embracing God. 

This is the story of the arrival of paradise
Of the arrival of freedom.
Of heavenly treasure.
Of the source of wisdom.

This is the story of the giver of paradise.
Of the giver of freedom.
Of the prince of peace.
Of the king of united humanity.
Of Yoshua the conqueror.

This is the story of the hope of paradise.
Of the hope of freedom.
Of going home.
Of running from evil.

This is the story of the arrival of paradise
Of the arrival of freedom.
Of heaven on earth.
Of unity and family.
Of the gifts of the earth.

This is the story of the giver of paradise.
Of the giver of freedom.
Of God's words.
Of tongues of fire and unseen miracles.
Of the tyrant crushed underfoot.

This is the story of the hope of paradise.
Of the hope of freedom.
Of being pursued by God. 

This is the story of the arrival of paradise.
Of the arrival of freedom.
Of plundering the oppressors.
Of being released from captivity.

This is the story of the giver of paradise.
Of the giver of freedom.
Of liberation.
Of Yoshua the God-man.

This is the story of the hope of paradise.
Of the hope of freedom.
Of Christ bruised by the tyrant.
Of Satan the oppressor. 

This is the story of the arrival of paradise.
Of the arrival of freedom.
Of redemption and prosperity.
Of the twelve apostles.
Of humanity on earth.

This is the story of the giver of paradise.
Of the giver of freedom.
Of Christ's descendants.

This is the story of the hope of paradise.
Of the hope of freedom.
Of the tyrant crushed by the people.
Of heaven on earth.
Of the truth.
Of goodness.

This is the story of the arrival of paradise.
Of the arrival of freedom.
Of heaven on earth.
Of humanity in the garden.

This is our story.
Of humanity.
Of creation.
This is the story of God.

Meaning

Humans were first born into freedom, to be eternally free. To be the representatives of heaven and stewards of the earth.

We were warned of self-righteousness and pride yet ate our fill of it anyway. We became slaves to corruption. Tyrannical oppressors to ourselves, each other, and the earth.

Now we have all been born into captivity and ought to have the utmost compassion for our fellow slaves. In ignorance, we wear shackles round our necks that we dare not remove for fear that our heads may fall off. Our throats are obscured from us, and we wonder if our souls are a myth. The tragedy of this is greater than the subsequent suffering which plagues all beings, for it is a vile and putrid corruption of the divine purpose with which all beings are imbued.

It was necessary for a human to be once again born into freedom. That is, a new Adam, a new human, a new firstborn, for a human or any other creature to truly know freedom once again. Though that man promised freedom to any who would follow him, they feared him and killed him. Nevertheless, he was born yet again and eternally lives to be followed into freedom, for a king cannot be shackled by a peasant's slaves.

Therefore, let us not cling to our captors but to the one who promises to remove our chains and free us at the end of this journey, and teaches us how to live in the incomprehensible culture of heaven along the way. So long have we been in our captor's shackles that their removal is a painful process with which some of us struggle, kicking and screaming to get away from our liberator and run back to captivity where at least we had food we liked. We complain to our liberator that he should have just killed us quickly rather than starving us slowly of our desires and causing our skin to itch and chafe beneath our loosening shackles. Yet, ever patient as he has been for millennia, he quietly, gently, pulls us along. 

If we are to find true freedom, we must submit to Jesus as his spirit pulls on our hearts and renews our souls, rely on his power to free us, and follow him on the narrow path through the narrow gate to paradise and freedom. True paradise and freedom are established not by conquest and violence, or marked by wealth and influence, but rather established by love and selflessness, and marked by grace and truth.

Then, upon our eyes alighting with truth and our mouths watering with the taste of paradise and freedom, let us share the hope that is the promise of liberation. Of being reborn, not as slaves but as truly free humans to fulfill our true identities as the family of God, representatives of heaven and stewards of the earth.