Born Free

Do you have, or have you had, heroes in your life? What do/did they mean to you?

Recently, for a class at CIU, I was asked to identify and reflect on my heroes, past and present. This was a difficult task as no past hero came to mind at first. However, as I brought to mind the television and fantasy characters that I enjoyed as a child, one in particular stood out. I remember at the age of 6 or 7 being totally enthralled by the TV series "Born Free." For those of you not familiar with this story it is based in Kenya, Africa on the life of Joy Adamson and her husband, Kenya game warden George Adamson. They rescued and raised a lion cub, Elsa, whose mother had been killed. When Elsa approached maturity, Joy determined she must re-educate Elsa to living in the wild so that the she could return to a free life, the life for which she was born.

I was drawn to Joy's unwavering and sacrificial dedication to the welfare and freedom of the lion in her care. Week after week, I watched as she withstood adversity and danger to protect the lion cub, so that some day she could be free. Through many gripping moments Joy and her husband voluntarily put their lives on the line out of love for Elsa and out of a deeply held conviction to do what they believed was right. They could not be swayed. Then, one day, in a highly emotionally charged and victorious culmination of many years of blood, sweat, tears, and joy, the bonds are broken and Elsa is set free!! Finally she is able to live the life for which she was made.

I looked at this story and my hero, Joy, and wondered why this story and character, above all others, would imprint itself on my memory in such a vivid way? What was it about Joy's character that caused my heart to react so strongly? I desperately wanted to be like her, to have that 100% sold-out, passionate, and self-sacrificing commitment to a cause. Well...not just any cause, but the cause of freedom, the setting free of a creation of God to be exactly what God created it to be.

How has this shaped where I am today? Well, my passion is to guide, nurture, love and nudge others towards freedom. Freedom from the lies of the past. Freedom from fear and self-doubt. Freedom from a life of sin and desperation. Freedom from abuse, addiction and emptiness. Freedom to live and engage in life fully, despite the circumstances. Freedom to experience deep sorrow and ecstatic joy, without fear of being overwhelmed. Freedom to open your heart without fear of being irrevocably damaged. Freedom to love and be loved. Freedom to discover the wonderful, uniquely gifted person God designed you to be. This is my passion, my heart's desire, my cause for which I am 100% sold out. It is part of what I was designed for; this is my God ordained calling to participate in His redemptive plan.

And now....I'm off to Blockbuster....there's a movie I need to see...