There is a true story of a great white tiger that was donated to Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. They did not have room to put him anywhere so they kept him in a 12-by-12 cage that the tiger just would walk back and forth in. This lasted for many years until they finally built the tiger a free roaming area with hills, trees, water and many places to play.1
This tiger had been trained so long to stay in that area that when they released it into its new habitat it stayed in one 12-by-12 corner and just walked around and around in that same area. The patch was worn down so much that the grass died in a perfect 12-by-12 area.1 This was such a waste and the tiger eventually died there.
How many of us are just like that tiger? We have built our own cages and our own prisons as believers in Christ. We let our past sins, our regrets, our fears, our anxieties, our pains, our sorrows or anything else that you want to fill in the blank with, keep ourselves from becoming the best version of who God wants us to be.
We are so afraid to do good works for the Lord that we have created our own boundary that keeps us from becoming and doing great things for God. We have let people around us say we are not good enough. We have let our past sins define us. Having let these regrets hold us back even after we have become believers. We are silently living in our own cage and not stepping out to greatness to experience the fullness that God has for us.
As Hebrews 10:24 says, “Let us spur each other on to greatness for God by doing good deeds in love.” If you are not doing this, please stop right now and ask God to boldly give you the confidence to accept your righteousness in Him and know that no sin, no past sins, no person, or no one thing can keep you from becoming the best version of yourself that God has for you. Repent of those things and go on to serve the Lord with confidence. Go as if you were out of that cage and walking freely in the great expanse that God has for you and roaming free to serve Him in His power. Be blessed.
Grace and Peace,
Matt Hampton
Grand Canyon University has been training Christians in ministry since its inception. If you are interested in pursuing a career in ministry, GCU's College of Theology has many degree programs, including Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministry, Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies and Master of Arts in Christian Ministry.
1 Referenced From: Monkeymagic.net, Mohini The White Tiger and Learned Helplessness, in January 2018