Journey to Freedom

 

Journey to Freedom

 

i was trapped by my own brokenness

  bound by another’s bitterness

after a lifelong vocation

  proclaiming liberty, freedom and forgiveness

i found myself in chains

  seemingly of my own making

a bondage that made mockery

  of everything i believed and stood for

but there were friends

  that stuck closer than a brother

and a divine outlet where I cared

  for others whose lives

  were in much darker places

 

nevertheless, my mind reeled

  from a comprehensive disorientation

even as i put one step before another

  surviving on daily routines

  work, phone calls, dinners, visits

i lived in a haze for quite some time

  forever wondering if this crushing limbo

  was destined to go on endlessly

mercifully, perplexity did not end in despair

  for in this desert

  i found water from a rock

yes, in this dry, arid, desolate place

  a stream unexpectedly began to flow

cool, refreshing, pure and soul satisfying

  strangely unbelievable, surreally dreamlike

  but undeniably thirst-quenching, invigorating

suddenly the painful disorientation

  was swept away

  by an equally intense, heavenly bewilderment

“How could this be?”

“Is this really happening?”

“Is there truly a new chapter in this story?”

“How did these chains fall off?”

“Certainly, this must just be a dream.”

 

but she was no dream, no vain imagination

  she literally parachuted into this weary life

  embracing me with love,

  healing, wholeness and a hope

a hope that there was a new tomorrow

a hope that condemnation had been cast aside

a hope that a life companion had been found

a hope that God still had good plans for me, for us

and on this Independence Day

  i would hold her in my arms, breathe deeply

giving thanks to our Maker

     for this journey to freedom.

-         mark d. cooke, 7-4-24