A BIRD IN A CAGE

Some time ago, I visited the Calgary Zoo with my family. Of course, there were so many exciting things to see there, but one particular scene kept playing back in my mind. That was the Birds section. I enjoyed seeing the wild birds up close as they flapped their wings flying around in a confined space. The environment within the cage was also designed after their natural habitat. Like other animals at the Zoo, they are provided with food regularly to keep them going. While I enjoyed the view like other visitors beaming with smiles around me, other thoughts raged through my mind. I kept saying, "A Bird in the Cage."

No matter how good the environment created within the Zoo is, no matter how much provision is made for the birds to keep them healthy and active, they can never live to their full potential in that cage. The ultimate winner in this relationship is the Zoo Operators and the visitors. If any bird is released from that cage, it might fly back towards the Zoo once. But I can tell you after that, the bird will rediscover itself, understand its potential better, and go out and make the best of the opportunities out there.

That reminds me of the story of Noah, as recorded in Genesis 8. After the great flood, Noah released a Dove to confirm the environment was good enough for them to disembark from the Ark. The Dove returned twice, but on the third occasion, it did not return. It has much more to explore than to remain in the Ark.

Why am I sharing this? Many live out their life today like a bird in a cage. Full of abilities and potentials but limited in the realization of those potentials. Like the birds I saw in the cage, we are provided with all that we need and therefore feel secure in our environment. As long as we are in that cage, we can flap our wings as much as possible, but we can never fly as far as we can. The birds struggle to fly within the cage because the wind and space are limited, but in the open air, the bird rides the wind and easily glides through it. The bird can see whatever is within the view range of the cage but cannot see as far as it can. With vision impaired by the sense of security within the enclosure, we lack the willingness to explore and have a more incredible view of what lies on the horizon. The bird in the cage satisfies the needs of the Zookeeper and the visitors, but it needs to fulfill its own potential. Many today live for others or their employers while denying themselves the possibility to excel in what God has created them to be.

It is about time to stop flapping the wings when you can ride the winds and glide through the sky. You can't afford to live in a cage when you have the whole airspace as your domain. The cage may give you a sense of security, but it takes your vision away. Noah's Dove discovered itself and never flew back to the Ark. When you realize who you are made to be, it brings you a new lease on life.

Brian Acton and Jan Koum, both former employees of Yahoo, started WhatsApp Messenger after they applied to join Facebook as employees and were rejected. 5 years later, the software they developed was bought by Facebook for 19.3 Billion Dollars. Had they been employed by Facebook, they would have been like a bird in a cage.

Let me end this with these words of prayer. May you not live your life in a cage, and you will live to fulfill your God-given potential in Jesus' name. Amen.