The Not Okay Corral

Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so people are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.~ Ecclesiastes 9:12

As I approached Wes's rain-drenched corral, I felt sad for him.  The week of rains made it impossible for my daughter to let her appaloosa out to run freely.  There he was, all cooped up with mud all around him.

How many of us are pent up in a corral? The mud we seem to be trapped in represents the challenges that we have difficulty dealing with.  Maybe life is not okay in our miniature cage?  As we stand there in the cold, we see a gate.  There are new opportunities on the other side of that doorway.  Fear creeps in and freezes us.  As we look to the horizon, we see the black clouds headed our way.  That means more mud.  It also means we won't get an opportunity to do what we were born to do...that is, run, jump, and explore.  We were born to be free.

It's not okay to remain trapped.  A new year is coming.  Maybe this is the year you will decide to free yourself from your prison cell.  For years, I hid myself in my own private cave, taunted by past mistakes and bad choices.  The Evil One convinced me that I was guilty and that I belonged in the cave, apart from community.

There is good news, my friend.  Jesus died for you so that you can be absolved of all sins.  It makes Him sad to see you stuck in the mud.  He unlocked the gate for you.  It is your choice to open it and venture out.  You have an inheritance.  Free yourself from your past mistakes and forgive yourself.  Forgive those who hurt you.  Open the gate and get out of the mud.  You have a destiny.  I will see you on the open range.  Giddy-up.  Let's start this new year on the outside of the corral.