This blog entry is a little different, as I tend not to write about things in the media. However, it seems like we’ve been hit with a barrage of stories of kidnapping and abuse of kids and there is nothing that disturbs me more. Please forgive me for this choice of topic, but I thought it would help to articulate a simple, yet powerful point well.
CNN recently reported on a girl, who for 18 years was whisked away into a secret backyard compound and was forced to grow up in isolation. By the time authorities discovered Jaycee Lee Dugard, she was a 29-year-old mother of two who had spent more than half of her life in sheds. One of the alleged abductors, Phillip Garrido, is the father of her two daughters, according to police. Jaycee now faces a difficult road to recovery.
Aside from the physical abuse and the mental manipulation, the ongoing physiological threats to compliance produces in the victims what some experts call the “Stockholm syndrome.” This is where victims identify with their captors and in many ways, become attached to them. Their captors have, in a very disturbing way become the center of their world. I find that this describes the life of many people in our world today. You may ask, “Who do I know that is a victim to this kind of violation?” The truthful answer is anyone who has not yet entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
You see, for years, even you and I who now know Jesus, were once victims of a captor who manipulated us, enslaved us in sin, left us empty, guilt ridden and alone. In a parallel and very sick way, even when told of the freedom Jesus Christ brings, many still choose to run from freedom and remain in the clutches of their spiritual abuser. Satan continues to violate people we know and love. They desperately need freedom that can only be found in Jesus. We hold the key to their prison in our hands. It’s called the Gospel. Their rescue is our great mission.
For some believers, we struggle with things from the past; perhaps because deep down, destructive desires still seem to have a grip on our hearts. It’s time that we, through the power of the Holy Spirit, fully break free from the Stockholm of our past and walk in the freedom found in Jesus Christ.
What about people you know who haven’t yet accepted Jesus Christ? Keep reaching out, showing love, and continuing to share the good news of the life Jesus brings. Finally, keep praying. Pray that our friends will step out of a life of imprisonment as they discover God’s pure love, clothed in grace and truth.
