"On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them." -- Acts 26:10-11

The one speaking is Paul.  He does not have a rosy future on earth in front of him.  He will be imprisoned, tortured, and killed.  He will have fallen from the heights of worldly power to the humiliation of being put to death by ones who once respected him.  Yet he is a free man.  He is free because he lives in the truth and confesses his wrongs.  He once was lost, but no longer.  He lives in the grace and forgiveness of Christ.

What keeps you living in the shadows?  What keeps you from experiencing the freedom of Christ and the grace that will allow you to live a new life?  Find a trusted friend, a confidant, or a counselor, and share your life.  You too can be free again.

Readings:  1Chronicles 5:18-6:81; Acts 26:1-32; Psalm 6:1-10; Proverbs 18:20-21