If I’ve learned anything from the accident that confined me to a wheelchair, it’s the principle that my journey is not the product of luck or fate or blind random chance.
The path I follow is determined by my choices.
Do I believe I made a choice to break my neck? Of course not—my injury resulted from a freak accident. No one caused me to tumble awkwardly from a roof, and I absolutely do not believe that paralysis was God’s plan for me. Evil rules this world; accidents happen, and too frequently one person acts in ways that harm others.
I also believe that the world abounds with good. People make decisions that bless and enrich others. With a subtle twist, the result of my fall might have been a bruise or a broken leg. That’s the nature of accidents.
But the incidents and events I encounter do not determine the nature of my journey. I alone make the choices that define the course.
The enemy wants me to believe that I’m a product of circumstance, a prisoner of luck or past events. He desperately screams that I’m damaged and broken beyond repair, that I’m a prisoner of misfortune and guilt. His misinformation campaign tells me I’ll never escape from the iron bars forged by accidents and mistakes.
Like all effective propaganda, this lie begins with truth. I am a broken person. Rocks and boulders litter portions of my path. Some are the result of my own bad decisions, others are just accidents, and a few of them may be intentionally placed by cruelty or evil. But that’s not the entire truth.
Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8: 31b-32
Jesus is the truth; if I know Him, I’m free. I am not hostage to the past, and I’m not a prisoner of the enemy’s lie that attempts to define me by circumstance. I choose Jesus. I know the truth. I’m free. That’s the truth that defines the nature of my journey.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1
Jesus offers freedom from the past, freedom from bondage to circumstances. I can choose to travel my path in Jesus’ footsteps, and that choice defines the path.
I still make mistakes, and bad things still happen. But God redeems broken circumstances and broken people—that’s the message of SetFreeToday.
Jesus doesn’t offer a magic shield from tragedy, misfortune, and the consequences of error. He simply offers to walk with us, to show us the way of freedom from the enemy’s lie.
That’s the truth—the truth that sets us free!
Question: What’s one issue or event that threatens to define you as a prisoner of circumstance?
*******************************************************
Dylan continues progress that’s encouraging but far too slow. His parents still face difficult medical choices. Please continue to support them in prayer. To put a very cute little face with your prayers, visit Dylan’s website: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dylanm
Mike and his family confront the difficult reality of life with a spinal cord injury. Thank you for your continued prayers. If you’d like to read more about Mike and offer some words of encouragement, here’s a link to his story: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mikekabat
Please leave a comment, visit my website, and/or send me an email at rich@richdixon.net.