By Don Crouse
Perhaps you're aware that the elephant is the strongest animal on land. Despite that fact, a handler called a mahout uses a modest chain to restrain the elephant; a chain which the elephant could easily break. The curious among you might wonder how this is possible.
When the elephant is a baby, the mahout uses a chain that the animal can't break. Over months of unsuccessful attempts the baby learns the chain is too strong for it to break and finally gives up trying, accepting the fact that any further attempts will only have the same result. As the animal grows, its past failures prevent it from trying to free itself, even though it could now easily break the chain. Those past failures have restricted its current actions and doomed it to a life of bondage. The elephant's great strength has been put under bondage to the seemingly insignificant mahout, who relies on the elephant's acceptance of failure as a means of controlling it.
How many of us can relate to the chained elephant? How many of us have let our past failures limit our faith and our efforts to share good news with others?
--for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.
(2 Peter 2:19b NIV)
If we fail enough times, we eventually become like the elephant; we give up and quit sharing the gospel because of past failures. And that's what Satan wants. Christians that are chained. We tried in the past and because it didn't work then, it won't work now. The truth, however, is that things don't remain static in God's plan You and I are much bigger elephants now than when we first believed. We just have to realize that.
We're always growing and becoming more than we ever realized we could be.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
(Galatians 5:1 KJV)
Don't let your past dictate your future. God doesn't measure us by our past failures; but rather by our desire to serve Him today.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
(2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV)
As Christians, we serve a limitless God who is capable of doing anything. He can, and will, use us when we give Him the opportunity.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV)
Through the Holy Spirit we are spiritual elephants.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
(Philippians 4:13 KJV)
So set that inner pachyderm free, break a few chains and share the good news of Jesus Christ.
Thick skinned and breakin' chains,
Don
Original text ©DCrouse 2011