The Elephant Rope
Stories unleash power! The stories we absorb can inspire us, motivate us, and allow us to empathize with others. At the same time, stories also have a dark side. Narratives can also make us fearful, doubtful, and insecure. Recently, I heard a profound about human limitations. To my knowledge, its author is unknown. The story of the Elephant’s Rope helps us to see that the greatest threat to reaching our fullest potential is the smallness of our imagination.
Too often, we confine ourselves. We allow a mentality of scarcity to prevent us from dreaming. We imprison ourselves. I believe this story reveals an important lesson for us as Christians, as the church, and as human beings. For me, this story invites the universal question… what would it mean to be free?
The story goes like this… as a man was passing by an elephant, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that this huge creature was contained by only a small rope tied to his leg. There were no chains or cages. It would seem that the elephant could, at anytime, easily break away from this rope but for some reason, didn't.
He saw a trainer nearby and asked why the elephant just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” the trainer said, “When they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.” The man was amazed. This elephant could at any time break free from its bonds but because it believed it couldn’t, it was stuck to that rope.
Like this elephant, how many of us go through life believing that we cannot achieve something? Maybe we tried once before and failed. But failure once does not mean failure forever. We must learn, adapt, and grow. Most importantly, we must desire to be free. Too often, we use scapegoats and excuses to convince ourselves that prosperity for all cannot be achieved.
The truth is the only thing preventing us from abundant life is apathy and fear. I pray that Jesus’ struggle these forty days of Lent inspires us to keep marching, never stop dreaming, and always challenge the impulse of “we can’t”. The rope is not strong enough to tie us down. Jesus, headed to Jerusalem is on the move. The journey will not be easy. But what awaits him, and us, is abundant life. We march knowing that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
Breaking the rope,
Pastor Lucas
