Elephant Ropes

Have you ever held yourself captive?

Sounds like a ridiculous question, I know.  But, someone spoke this to me about a year and a half ago and tonight I stumbled across it again while doing a web search:

“Did you know that elephants are trained to stay where they are by tying a rope around one of their massive legs and attaching it to a peg in the ground?  Can the peg and rope really hold back an elephant? Absolutely not!  Then why does it work? Because elephants grow up BELIEVING it will.  Maybe they tried pulling away when they were young with no success.  After enough failures, they stop trying.  They no longer test the restraint, and confine themselves when tethered to the rope.”  From:  http://christians-in-recovery.org

I relate to the elephant's situation.  I can definitely identify areas in my life that I have allowed myself to be chained and held captive by ropes that don't even have the power to hold me.  And, I've grown so comfortable with the ropes, that the idea of being free can actually make me nervous.  How ridiculous that I'd rather be comfortable in my bondage than take a chance and experience true Freedom!

I've been holding myself captive with elephant rope. 

But, today -- I'm pulling away!