Bondage
1. Slavery or involuntary servitude; serfdom
2. The state of being bound by or subjected to some external power or control
Though being under bondage can have several different meanings (Dictionary.com lists four), these two seem to become the most dominating in Christian life. Why is that, perhaps because we have become comfortably enslaved?
What does it mean to be comfortably enslaved (i.e. miserable)? Dr. Dan Johnston Ph.D., clinical psychologist, author, and founder of the Awakenings Web Site states in his article titled, On Being Comfortably Miserable, “Comfortable misery is when you are miserable but you are used to it. The problem is that it is scary to try and get out of comfortable misery” (Web).
In layman’s terms, fear, doubt, and pride are the roots of becoming comfortably enslaved and living in bondage. Dr. Johnston writes, “This is the type of reasoning that holds us back and keeps us stuck. You are miserable but not miserable enough to change” (Web).
As a psychology student, with a desire to not only heal myself, but also use my experience and gifts to bring healing to others this intrigued me, so I began to do some research into the subject, however there has not been a lot of research in the area.
In an article titled, “Are you suffering from “Comfortable Misery?” Taunee Besson, CMF senior columnist at CareerCast.com, and president of Career Dimensions, Inc writes,
Comfortable Misery, a self-inflicted malady characterized by inertial thinking, and an overwhelming need to maintain the status quo. Those suffering from comfortable misery run efficiently on autopilot. They go through the motions while experiencing little joy, learning, or feeling of genuine satisfaction, they’re like zombies (Web).Besson claims, “The United States was founded by individuals who believed in the Puritan ethic we were put on this earth to atone for our sins not to have a good time. Americans continue to take this mindset to heart” (Web).
Perhaps she is right, we all know and understand we are not worthy of God’s grace and mercy. Therefore, it is almost unconceivable; we struggle with allowing ourselves to accept His love, and as a result cannot rejoice in the full redemption of His sacrifice. Yet, that is not what God’s Word teaches us,
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (The Apostle Paul, Gal 3:13-14, NKJV).
What it boils down to is pride and faith. We make too much of ourselves as if our sin is too great even for God, and we have little faith in a God who seems too small compared to our sin. We create a vicious cycle of doubt, conviction, and lack of worth. We have not only become comfortable in our misery, but we have allowed ourselves to become enslaved by it, and fall into spiritual misery and the blame game. Of course it cannot be our fault we are not happy in our job, or we have no friends that we can really open up to and trust. Neither is it our fault that God allows us to suffer through trials and tribulations, after all, God must make sure we never forget our sin, so the suffering we endure has to be because of past sin. We cannot expect blessings from a God who is not big enough to take away our guilt. We are just doomed to exist in this life, not live life.
Nevertheless, these are all lies of the devil, who has used our guilt, pride, fear, and little faith (doubt) to enslave us in our misery. We have given our power and control over to satan and have allowed him to imprison us in our own minds. Understanding this is the beginning of healing but only the beginning. The road ahead is full of the before mentioned, fear, guilt, pride, doubt, and the only way to reach the path of joy and peace, is to let go and trust the promises given us in God’s Word. Confess our pride and doubt when we encounter it, and accept that Christ’s work upon the cross is enough. Yes, I know easier said than done, but that is where another concept we must consider comes into play and that is choice. More on that next time, I pray all have enjoyed what I have written and I wish you many blessings.
“Healing for all physical, mental, and spiritual ills you can always find in being with Me”, God Calling by A. J. Russell
Work Cited
Besson, T. (n.d.). http://www.careercast.com/career-news/are-you-suffering-comfortable-misery. Retrieved June 2012, from http://www.careercast.com/
Johnston, D. (2007, June 2). http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/johnston.html. Retrieved June 2012, from http://www.selfgrowth.com/
Russell, A. J. (2011). God Calling. Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour Publishing.
