Live Like the Lid is Off
By Carolyn Hulliberger
“…I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life
than they ever dreamed of.”
John 10:10 (The Message, paraphrase)
A number of years ago, Sony made a
commercial for a game system that depicted fleas in a jar. The fleas were shown
to be jumping all around in the jar, some even soaring out of the top. A lid is
put on the jar for three days, then removed. The fleas no longer have the
limitations of the lid. But guess what? The fleas no longer jump higher than
the height of the lid. They have been trained, and don’t bother to attempt to
go beyond, although no restrictions remain. And their offspring? They stay at
the lowered height, never venturing above the top of the jar.
Sometimes, we humans are no smarter
than the fleas. We put restrictions on ourselves and our lives, never venturing
beyond the familiar. Or perhaps we did try something new, only to bang our
heads and simply gave up. Maybe we were even told by others there was a limit,
so instead of pushing at a boundary, we took their word for granted and never
attempted to venture out.
But what if we were smarter? What if
we lived like the lid was off of our lives, similar to:
-
Peter and Andrew, the disciples who left their family fishing
business to train with Jesus
-
Ruth, who left her homeland to support her mother-in-law
-
Esther, who was bold enough to approach a king, risking death
-
The boy with a lunch, who handed it over to be the source of
feeding thousands
-
Paul and Barnabas…leaving Jerusalem and taking the message of
the Messiah to the world
I don’t know what the label says on
your lid…what might be containing you. There are lots of lids. Some are labeled
“condemnation”...”victim”… “stupid”… “fat”…“ugly.” Mine is labeled “fear.” Fear
of ridicule, or losing someone I love, or losing personal safety. But like the
paraphrase of John 10:10 above says, Jesus Christ came to give us life.
It is a precious and important gift. Don’t let your lid keep you from
exploring life.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Does your life have a lid? What
label is written on it?
2. Think of how you can help someone struggling to remove their own
“lid.”
FURTHER
READING:
Along with caring for her family, Carolyn works
as an insurance representative, serves in Oakwood Church as a Community Group
leader and a High School home group leader.
To see the commercial, follow this
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlpjA-QgmQM
