"A Prisoner Of Birth"

I just finished a novel titled "A Prisoner Of Birth" by Jeffrey Archer. It was a great read and well worth the time.

But the title got me thinking: Is this how the poor see themselves? Trapped by their birthplace and the circumstances they find themselves in?

Maybe that's why Jesus, when announcing his mission on earth, quoted Isaiah 61: 1,2:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (NIV).

.........to proclaim freedom for the prisoners..........

I have spent time with the poor. I have met my compassion children from Ecuador. I've stood in a shack of a home of thin plywood walls with tape at the ceiling, nothing but plastic tarping for a roof.............and therein seen deep joy and contentment.

So maybe these poor with hope aren't the prisoners of birth needing freedom.

Maybe I'm the one held captive..........

• by chasing the "American Dream"
• by my debt
• by my lifestyle
• by the lie of always needing to improve my lot/climb the corporate ladder
• by my apathy and selfishness

Maybe I'm the one Jesus was thinking about.