A story:
As I was passing the elephants at the zoo, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not.Of course this story's obvious moral is that even when we have been taught to believe that we can't do something, it shouldn't keep us from trying. But we are conditioned in other ways too. So many of the things we are certain of are beliefs that have been conditioned in us through our communities, families, friends, schools and even churches. Bigotry is a result of condtioning and once we begin to question it, we can break free.
I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. "Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free." I was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were.
Questioning is a good thing! God gave us brains and expects us to use them. Pick one of your beliefs and ask yourself why you believe it. Is it a result of your own regular experiences? Or have you been condtioned to believe it? If you have been conditioned, the belief isn't necessarily wrong, but it is certainly worth examining.
Father,
Help us to look to our experiences with you as our basis for faith. And help us to continually question those things we have been simply condtioned to believe... just in case we need to break free. Amen.
Joys: Pedicure; good day off; a warm, dry home in a cold, wet winter.
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