a trip to the zoo

So I went to the zoo with the family today.  Had a great time.  Eli, my 2 year old, loves to comment on all of the animal's poopy.  Lucky this gives me an opportunity to talk about poopy, which my lovely wife doesn't normally like to discuss.  But I digress, I'm not writing about poop tonight, just wanted to included in a post at some point. 

One of the first animals we saw today was a little rodent type thing.  I don't remember the name of it but it looked like a really big rabbit.  Anyway, as with all animals at the zoo (to which I'm very thankful) it was in a cage locked up so it couldn't escape.  But the mutant rabbit was trying to dig it's way out and it was making good progress and looked like it might be successful at some point.  Anyway, it's fun to see the all of the animals at the zoo, animals you can only see at a zoo but I also feel sorry that they will always be captive. 

It made me think about my former captivity.  How I thought I had a good life, looking at all of the people walking around coming just to see me, I was loving life, or so I thought.  The thing is while I had convinced myself that I was "happy", truth is I was miserable.  I had let sin become my master and I was held captive by it.  It wasn't until Jesus released me from those chains that I found out what life was and what it was meant to be.  Jesus didn't give me temporary happiness but eternal joy.  There weren't just moments of feeling like I was the center of attention but there was a firm, continual knowledge that I was loved and that Christ was always with me, always watching me. 

There are so many people in the world outside the faith that are still living in captivity and don't know it.  I walk around and can't help but feel sorry for them.  But it's not enough for me to just feel sorry for them.  They can't know the freedom that I know if I only feel sorry for them and don't say anything.  When I walk around a zoo I don't have a key to go around and free all of the animals that I feel sorry for them, thankfully, but when I walk around in my everyday life, I do have the "key" to set them free from their sin and captivity.  His name is Jesus.  It's my awesome responsibility to do something with that.  What about you?  Have you offered the key to anyone in your life?