She stood entranced in her surroundings. The bars blurred her vision leaving just a tiny window of light into the courtyard. She rubbed her eyes with the heals of her hands.
“Whatcha looking at, missy?” They laughed as she wrapped her hands around the cold bars, pressing her face as far as she could against them. She could ignore them for a while. She usually did. They never stopped though. They were never satisfied to let it go with a single comment …even two.
” We know what you’ve done. Home wrecker. We’ve heard about you. How many men were there? How many families? We got names for girls like you.”
She didn’t dare defend herself. How could she? They were right. They were always right. She’d ruined so many homes she’d lost count. She’d ruined so many lives God himself had lost count. But they hadn’t. They were right there to remind her any time she believed for a single minute that there was hope for someone like her. There wasn’t.
The cells were full of people like her. Not as bad as her, but people who had fallen. People that lost sight along the way or never had it to start with. But no one … not one single prisoner there could hold a candle to her sin. Nope. She held that record. She knew it if no one else did. There were skeletons digging at her closet door begging to get out. It was her single prayer that they never did. But of course, she was unworthy to even call His name.
The sky grew dark. In the far corner of the courtyard she saw a glimpse of light moving closer. She stretched her hand through the bars to reach for the light. Her heart pounded the harder and further she stretched.
“Think you going somewhere?” They grabbed her legs and yanked her away from the bars slamming her face into the dirt floor. They kicked her. Called her names. Spit on her. She held her open hand as high in the air as her final moments of strength would allow. Tears streamed from her swollen eyes. She couldn’t bring herself to beg for help. She didn’t deserve it. They continued the beating … laughing. “You get what you deserve, tramp.”
The ground shook with anger. For a moment, no one but her noticed. The bars rattled. She gasped for air as she pressed their knees against her lungs, but her hand held high. Her eyes lifted to see the light moving closer to the bars. Thunderous footsteps pounded their way closer to the cell … and closer.
Her cell mates took a step back as the ground shook with more force. She lay face down, conceding to death when the bricks of the cell exploded. He moved in like a storm breaking the force of sin and shame that chained her to the cell. With a single breath, her chains fell. He lifted her from the ground and carried her out of her prison in His arms until she could find her footing again.
“If the Son has set you free, you are free indeed.” He said. “Move forward in mercy. Meet me each morning. I will renew it. You … are … free. “
