(day fifty-two) something beautiful

Whether they are guilty or innocent God only knows, but I can not get my mind off the West Memphis Three (mentioned in yesteday's blog). All day long I've been imagining what they must be doing today after 18 years of being in prison. What would I do after all that time of being locked up in a cell? After thinking for about 30 seconds I knew.... without a doubt I would go to the river. I would take my shoes off and walk on the rocks to feel the earth beneath my feet again, I would let the cool water flow through my fingers, I would listen to the wind dancing throughout the trees, I would observe every single color, shape, and smell; I would taste freedom.

The other night I started browsing through one of the guys old blog from solitary confinement. The scene he painted for his audience was at times very disturbing and uncomfortable. His words describing such a slavery felt like thorns in my own flesh as my heart ached on behalf of the pain he endured:

"I can vaguely remember life in what I call the real world. It seemed to be a chain of events that flowed one into another, not always seamlessly, but at least naturally. There is nothing natural about my current situation. Nothing flows or even moves without someone applying a tremendous amount of willpower to one of realities pressure points. Even then, it's like trying to keep a beach ball afloat just by blowing on it. Life without momentum is not truly life. A person needs movement, or they eventually begin to forget that they even exist."

When reading this one can clearly sense the feelings of abandonment, rejection, loneliness, fear, emptiness, and tremendous pain expressed. Gut wrenching pain took on so many faces for him in that cold emotionless place. His wounds were exposed in every way which caused affliction to be that much more visible as he honestly recounts every detail of discomfort.

Even in "the real world" we can experience some level of pain and slavery. And most of the time it's less visible. Internal affliction is difficult to handle on your own, but pretty easy to cover up. I've learned to look for external signs that reveal things going on deep inside a person's life... but often it's masked so well the world would never know. We all have the same freedom offered by the same price paid... but very few accept, believe and commit to this freedom and love. Even fewer live radical "kingdom" lives with Jesus on earth. I just wonder how many push pain down further because of fear. I wonder how many have actually started forgetting that they even exist (like echols), and have become numb to life in slavery?

God can and will (if we allow Him) turn our pain into something beautiful. He can use the very thing we tend to mask for His glory. He can turn ANY story completely around. He can take us off the path of destruction and onto the trail of true life. He can also use our victory in other people's lives so they too can learn to walk in complete freedom with Him. Where are your broken places? Do you believe God can make those places beautiful again? He's got you.

Today a friend of mine sent this video to me and I thought it fit nicely so I'd share it with you. It's another interesting perspective on this whole thing. I love to watch things that provoke me to think... and explore more of the mysteries of God! Enjoy :)

BROKEN IS BEAUTIFUL from PEOPLE OF THE SECOND CHANCE on Vimeo.