Caged No More

    "Fighting Truth"© by Patrea Johnson Heath

Years ago D8 sculpted this statue for me. I love it and keep it in a place where I see it often. It is a constant reminder of the vexation that makes life so miserable and how easy it is to avoid unnecessary pain by Living in Truth. In her sculpture the Pit of Illusion is portrayed as a jail cell, and the person inside is desperately fighting against the bars of the prison trying to get out while behind him the door to the cell is wide open.

Those of you who have read Good News! for awhile already know what this is about. When we fall into the Pit of Illusion life closes in on us and we feel as if we are in a cage that we desperately try to break out of. We bang against the cage bars (fight against Truth!) until we are bruised and broken. We shout for help, but hear no one coming to help us. In those claustrophobic times, life seems so dismal, but the problem is not the cage. The problem is that we are fighting against iron bars (Truth) that do not and will not bend. But if instead of spending our time trying to bend iron bars, we step back and accept the fact that the unbendable bars are there, and focus on what we can do inside those bars,
 everything changes.

If we take a step back, take a deep breath, and ask, “Is it true that this cage is ruining my life or is my pain coming because I’m fighting against this cage?” we begin to realize there are a lot of good options available to us. We can sing. We can dance. We can breathe in the wonderful aromas that waft through the cage. We can even reach through the bars and touch others. We can. . . well you get the picture. Despite the cage, the Truth is that there is still so much to enjoy and to do.

But the most amazing thing about accepting Truth is that when I step back
 and concentrate on finding ways to “enjoy” the situation in the cage instead of fighting against it,
I suddenly notice that Someone has been standing there all along holding open the door.
All I needed to do was stop fighting against the Truth,
turn around, and walk through the door.

I hope you find cage doors open today!