Chains vs. Snares

So, I've been thinking about what it is that traps us. The big stuff is easy to see. Abused as a child? A big chain around your waist. Raised in a cult? Huge and heavy shackles clamped to your ankles. These things clank and draw attention to themselves every time you walk. You can see these things and they are something that you OBVIOUSLY want to get free from.

The harder stuff for me is the little things. Those little foxes get me every time. I see those little things like, for instance, just a slightly skewed image of God because of who your dad was or wasn't, as more like fishing line than chains. Fishing line is sneaky. It's silent and nearly invisible. It's not something that's immediately obvious to you or anybody else. You don't know you've even been caught until it's wrapped around and pulled so tight that you're losing circulation to one of your legs. You look down and can't even remember when you picked up that tangled stuff.

I'm going to start praying that God will show me those snarled nests of invisible fishing line before I step in them and lose a leg. I'm also going to start asking for some scissors.