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I was shackled no more, but I wondered about him.

Carefully shuffling into PT one Thursday, I signed the blue form, made a silly remark to the sunny ladies sitting behind the desk, and planted myself in my usual seat.

Even with my back to the door, I knew he was there. The woman to my left gasped when he brushed her chair. The patient in front of me mouthed, “You have got to be kidding me.” And the elderly couple in the corner shifted their weight nervously as he quietly passed them.

It was not the orange jumpsuit that grabbed our attention. Nor was it the armed military guard at his right and left. Instead, it was what he wore on his hands and feet.  

Some might call them handcuffs. Others might call them restraints. But to us in the room, the shackles signaled we could pass judgment, labels, and preconceived notions.

Usually, someone in front of me would have gotten a smile or a good morning. But after a glance in his direction, I cowardly fixed my eyes on my poorly manicured feet.

And then the nurse called his name. I could not help but raise my head and look into his eyes. When I did, I saw something unexpected: no fear, anger, or shame. Just a penetrating sadness. Sadness that we saw only his shackles, assigned him an identity he no longer wanted, and judged who he was before we even looked him in the eye.

As often happens when I look outside my little world, I came face-to-face with something that day. I have been ransomed and freed, but sadly, on many days, I act as though I am not. I carry the burdens of this world as though they chain me to the same sadness I saw in that man’s eyes. I act as though I have no hope.

And yet God meant it when He said His yoke is easy and His burden light. It is a promise to remind us when we forge through hard things. We should be in the hope business, the freedom business, and the joy business.

When others look into our eyes, they shouldn’t see sad, defeated little children, but people beloved by the God who set them free.

How can you walk in the freedom God has for you today?

(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)