To relax on the weekends, I probably spend as much time watching television those two days as I do the entire other 5 put together. As much as two hours, maybe (not a big TV watcher). So today I saw for the first time an ad for a Billy Graham crusade (I assume it is to be aired soon? I missed that detail). The ad showed a few brief clips of testimonials from several different people about their lives. One very handsome, well-dressed black gentleman said, "I got out of the ghetto of my environment, but I was still living in the ghetto of my soul."
I have loved the imagery that phrase gives, mainly because the last few days have given me opportunity to think about so many people -- including myself -- who seem to be still living in "the ghetto of their soul." Why am I still struggling with the same demons from 20 years ago? Because I haven't left the ghetto of my soul. I recently had opportunity to visit with a young woman who has all of the tools in front of her to leave the ghetto of her environment, but with hateful words of yesteryear ringing in her ears, she's stuck in the ghetto of her soul. I watch as people make the same commitment to do better -- they see a better way, want a better way, but they are stuck in the ghetto of their soul.
Remember in Acts 16 when Paul and Silas are in prison? There's a tremendous earthquake and when the jailer realizes what happened (and the door is standing open) he takes out his sword to kill himself - to save the authorities the trouble, since he had allowed a prisoner to escape. But Paul stopped him saying, "We are all here!" I feel like that is so many of us -- not that we're here in our prisons to testify to the jailer, but just because we're comfortable. It's what we know. The furniture is comfortable and the thought process is well worn into our brain. The chains are off, the door is standing open, yet here we are, wandering around in the ghetto of our soul.
The sad thing is that, other than breaking a lifetime of thought processes, it really is just that easy. We can leave today, yesterday, whenever. With Jesus as Lord of your life, you are free to get out of the ghetto of your soul. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36 And, from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech, reminding us of an old negro spiritual: "Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, I'm free at last!"
So today (okay, I'll start tomorrow since I'm putting myself to bed after this) I will leave the ghetto of my soul. I will probably find myself back there when Satan tries to convince me that's where I belong, but I will walk victoriously out of the ghetto, proclaiming the victory that the Son has sacrificed to give me. The ultimate price was paid for my escape from the ghetto. Why am I still here? So, I'm SO outta here, this ghetto-of-my-soul. I've got victory to proclaim.
