Today I took a walk around the zoo.  It was a beautiful day, and I needed to get some exercise.  I enjoy photography, so this was a perfect opportunity to combine the two. As I walked around photographing the animals, I noticed many of the wild animals are now content being confined in their enclosures. The polar bear enjoys his small swimming pool. Kali swims back and forth in a tiny pool, rather than the vast expanse of arctic waters. He walks around on concrete, confined to a 40,000 square foot home. A wild polar bear can cover thousands of miles when hunting for food. At the zoo, the keepers hide food throughout his enclosure and Kali “hunts” for the tasty treats.  Instead of experience the ice on the tundra, he has a personal ice machine that makes ice for him to play with and eat. The bear is trained to get on a scale to be weighed. The zookeepers reward Kali for performing various tasks to make it easy for the keepers to care for him. Kali is dependent on people for his survival. This bear is the only animal in his enclosure, and he does not encounter other bears or animal species. Looking at the polar bear, he seems happy. The zoo meets Kali’s needs and yet I can’t help but wonder if he misses the wild.  A hunter rescued Kali after his mother was killed. Because Kali is an orphan, he was never taught to live in the wild. Even though a mother bear did not raise him, there are certain instincts a bear has, and they never lose their bear habits.  This bear can still maul a human and still acts like a polar bear.

Many people also live in enclosures. The walls may be invisible to the human eye, but they exist.  These walls are often more confining than the physical barriers.  Like this bear, many people do not know that there is a different world on the other side of the enclosure. Sin keeps us isolated from God.  We feel dirty and unworthy of His presence. Sin can also cause us to isolate ourselves from other Christians.  Repentance and accepting God’s forgiveness opens these doors and freedom is refreshing. Our cages may be the lies others have told us which keep us from becoming the person God created us to be.  The enclosures may be addictions of food, alcohol, drugs or pornography. Materialism may make us so comfortable that we do not realize we need or want God in our lives. While living in the midst of the lies or addictions a person can get comfortable and think that this is the life they are intended to live.  As children, we may not have been introduced to Christ, but our hearts long to connect with Him. Knowing who we are in Christ and letting God help us break our addictions helps us to live the life God intended for us to live.  Satan knows each one of us, and he knows what will keep us from experiencing the freedom of Christ. Just like the bear who is still a wild animal, we all have a need to be connected to God.  Sin and worldly things can provide us with a false sense of security so that we may not realize how unhappy we are at the present time. Our spirits are fighting to be connected to God because He designed us this way. Until we find God and build a relationship with Him, we will never be free.  We may have our physical needs met, but spiritually we will be dying.  God holds the key to unlock the door so that we can walk free.  You will open the eyes of the blind.You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons. Isaiah 42:7