A Castle or a Cage

Bible Reading: Psalm 40:6-8

“This is gonna be so cool!” Kegan said as he worked on the box their new refrigerator had arrived in. He cut out a door and window, then threw in an old rug and climbed inside. His little brother Joey scooted in too.

When Mom heard Joey crying a little later, she went to investigate. “Mommy!” Joey sobbed. “Kegan won’t let me play in his castle anymore!”

“He messes up the rug,” said Kegan. “Besides, it’s too small for two of us.”

“Why don’t you play with your new truck for a while, Joey?” Mom suggested, and Joey scampered away. “Okay, Kegan,” said Mom. “You can enjoy your castle alone for a bit, but then I want you to share it with Joey.”

Things were peaceful for a while, but then Mom heard Joey crying again. She found him crouching inside the big box, peering out the window. “Kegan won’t let me out of the cage!” he sobbed.

“Kegan!” said Mom.

Kegan sheepishly moved the chair away from the door, and Joey scrambled out. “He kept trying to get in, so I thought if I made him stay in there for a while, he’d get tired of it,” Kegan explained. “It worked too! First Joey cried to get into my castle, but when I turned my castle into a cage, he couldn’t wait to get out!”

Joey scowled. “Kegan said I was a monkey in a cage. I don’t wanna be a monkey.”

Mom couldn’t keep from smiling a little. “It’s still the same box, but Joey didn’t see it as the same,” she said. “You know, that’s a little like how I used to see Christianity.”

“It is?” asked Kegan. “What do you mean?”

“Before I was a Christian, I thought following Jesus just meant obeying a bunch of rules—rules that would keep me from having fun and enjoying life. I saw Christianity as a cage. But Jesus helped me understand that life with Him was like living in a castle. He wanted to free me from sin and make me a daughter of the King! Life with Him is not about following rules, though He will help us obey Him and become more like Him. It’s a life of joy and freedom with Jesus.”

Kegan nodded. “Jesus’s castle is the best place to be!”

-Sherry L. Kuyt

How About You?

Do you think being a Christian means having to follow rules about what you can or can’t do? Life with Jesus is not a cage of rules—it’s a castle full of freedom and the goodness of God! Jesus wants to free you from sin and fill your life with His love, joy, and peace. He wants you to spend eternity with Him as a child of the King. Trust in Him, and He’ll give you a place in His castle. (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.)

Today’s Key Verse:
Psalm 40:8 (NKJV) I delight to do Your will, O my God.

Today’s Key Thought:

Find joy in Jesus