Print This PostWhat’s that smell?
One of my favorite movies is The Shawshank Redemption with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. In the climax of the movie, Andy (played by Robbins) makes his bid for freedom. All the time and effort it took to get to this point culminates in a swim through a sewer. The detritus and discards of human waste is the environment in which Andy must crawl through to reach his goal. Freedom. One word that means the world to Andy. And to me.
Setting aside the reason(s) for Andy being in prison; the point is he is willing to take the steps necessary to accomplish his goal-FREEDOM! All through the movie the dominant theme is hope. Hope in a hopeless situation. Hope that was not a pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking, it was a goal that he could see in his mind’s eye. Andy never stopped believing that freedom was worth working for. He planned for it and worked for it. He did the daily digging, filling his pockets with dirt to sprinkle in the “yard.” It cost him time and effort and sleep and living life on life’s terms inside a prison where the physically strong prey on the weak. Disclaimer. As much as I like this movie, I would not encourage you to watch it with young children. There are scenes that are violent and obscene-just like prison.
Here’s the meaning of all this. Freedom takes time. It takes work. More than anything else, it takes hope. Hope that doesn’t fail. A hope that is based on a faith in a God who loves us.
For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. Jer. 29:11 AMP
Andy escaped from prison. A stone and steel prison. He escaped a little bit every day, one spoonful at a time, one day at a time. He knew in his head, and more importantly, in his heart, that hope was good. Without hope he would die. He kept his own hope alive by sharing that hope with Red (played by Morgan Freeman) and planning for the freedom he believed in his heart he would experience one day. Those of us who admit freely our own hurts, habits, and hang-ups get to share in the hope that freedom brings, one day at a time. We have to swim through a lot of crap, some we produced, some we didn’t, to reach the end. But the joy at the end of the tunnel is worth the journey. At the end we are clean. And we are FREE!
What’s that smell?
The cost of freedom.
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August 12th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Well said , your blogs are so meaningful, keep it up, you are truly an inspiration
August 12th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Harve, what I read in my devotions this morning is worth sharing since I believe it fits in with the things you shared today. “Nothing is wasted when it is shared with Me. (Jesus speaking) I can bring Beauty out of the ashes of lost dreams. I can glean Joy out of sorrow, Peace out of adveristy. Only a Friend who is also the King of kings could accomplish this divine alchemy.” Jesus says in His word “is anything too hard for Me?” I don’t think so. This just confirms what you have been sharing from your heart.