Wonderland

The time came when the Lord God formed a man's body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. And man became a living person.

Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, to the east, and placed in the garden the man he had formed. The Lord God planted all sorts of beautiful trees there in the garden, trees producing the choicest of fruit. At the center of the garden he placed the Tree of Life, and also the Tree of Conscience, giving knowledge of Good and Bad. Genesis 2:7-9 (TLB)

The Lord is my strength, my song, and my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him. He is my father's God - I will exalt him. Exodus 15:2 (TLB)

When Tun Thwin, from Myanmar, was a student at Rangoon University in the 1960s, he took part in a student demonstration. For his involvement, the military government expelled him from the university, arrested him under a state security law, and put him in prison. Tun was placed in solitary confinement inside a small block cell.

After 60 days his external wooden door was opened, allowing Tun to see out, but the iron-barred door was still closed. Having been confined for two months, Tun ran to the opened door, breathed fresh air, felt the cool breeze, gazed at the green trees, looked up at the blue sky and moving clouds, and searched for the shining sun. In the quiet of the dark night, Tun counted the sparkling stars and marveled at the glowing moon. He had been cut off from the wonderland that God created for us. What a magnificent world we live in!

When Tun was confined and separated from the rest of the world, he came to appreciate more deeply the freedom he had lost and recognized in a whole new way the gift of God's creation. Now he understands what freedom really means.

Prayer: Gracious Father, forgive us when we take for granted our freedom and the wonder of the world you have created for us, in Jesus' name. Amen.