I’m a fan girl. Unashamedly. If Middle-Earth existed, I’d be there before you could say, “J.R.R. Tolkien.”
Now, even though the closest I can get to Middle Earth is New Zealand, there are still valuable lessons from these wonderful books and movies.
In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Aragorn asks the shieldmaiden Eowyn, “What do you fear?” to which she answered, “A cage.” Why a cage? She was terrified that her life would be a waste. Eowyn, as a woman, was forbidden to fight with the other warriors to defend her country and was helpless to change that situation despite her great desire to fight..
There are many times in life where we are helpless to change our circumstances. We feel trapped, caged in by finances, relationships, responsibilities, and expectations. Personally, I fear not being able to trust that God has my back. I fear the unknown, that my plans and back-up plans will all be for naught. I fear unknowingly building myself into a cage of complacency, desiring to do more and step into the destiny God has planned for me but instead staying put where I am, watching others go ahead and reaping the harvest that should be mine.
So what do you fear? What cage has you trapped? What prevents you from fully experiencing the beauty of life that God has for you? Think about it. Seriously.
We are not meant to live in fear.
Now, after Eowyn gives her answer to Aragorn he replies, “You’re a daughter of kings… I do not think that would be your fate.” Just as Eowyn did end up being able to escape her “cage” and gain honor on the battlefield, so we can also.
It is not your fate to live in your cage.
Paul writes in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” I don’t know about you, but I like this! My King has given me a powerful spirit! I have the power to love the unlovable, to forgive unspeakable wrongs, and to make my dreams into a legacy that will bring glory to God. I have the power to overcome my fear.
Just think on this a minute: you may be in a cage of fear for whatever reason, but that is not who you are. “Because you are His sons [and daughters], God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are His child, God has made you also an heir” (Galations 4:6-7 NIV).
You are a son or daughter of the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and the Creator of the Universe! It is not your fate to live life in a cage. It is Your Destiny to bring glory to God! It will be a life-long journey that will be exciting, frustrating, fulfilling, and exhilarating.
Do not live in fear. You are a child of the King, and your journey starts with stepping out of your cage.
Annamarie
And the Road Goes Ever On 