Kiss your chains, and they will become a key. This idea comes from the life of a very courageous Frenchman who was in the French underground during WWII. Somehow he was betrayed, and after a gun battle in which he was wounded, he was taken captive and thrown into prison. He wrote: Before I knew what happened, they had handcuffed both my hands to the iron frame of the bed. The hour which followed was one of the blackest of my life. How could I get through the night stretched out in this position: If I had let myself go and struggled, perhaps I would have driven myself mad by the next morning. It was clear that my plot to escape had been discovered, and as I realized my chance had gone, despair came over me. For a long time, I lay with dry eyes, turning over in my mind every possibility of getting out alive and assessing (judging) the chances, having made every sort of calculation; having peered into the slightest possibilities, I saw that it was hopeless. At that, something gave way inside of me. Left utterly alone with the wreck of my plans, I did what I should have done before. I turned my face to God and asked for help. It is difficult to describe exactly what I felt, beneath everything, beyond everthing, I felt myself humiliated and defeated. I had been so confident and now my pride had been laid low. There was only one way of coming to terms with my fate if I was not to sink into an abyss of defeat from which I knew I could never rise again. I must make the gesture of complete humility by offering to God all that I suffered. I must not only have the courage to accept the suffering he had sent me; I must also thank him for it, for the opportunity he gave me to find at last his truth and love. I remember the relief of weeping as I realized that this was my salvation. Then the inspiration came to me to KISS THE CHAINS which held me prisoner, and with much difficulty I at last managed to do this. I am not an easily convinced person, but even allowing for the state of mind I was in that night, there can be no doubt in my mind that some great power from outside momentarily entered into me. Once my lips had touched the steel, I was freed from the terror of death to me, now by kissing my chains I had turned them from bonds into a key. In the blackness of that night my faith gave me light. Peace returned to me and I slept quietly, accepting death which would bring me life.By Pierre D'Harcourt - Kingdom of Self(When we are drawn away by our own lustful passions - snares of the enemy - wounded - taken captive - we try to struggle to plot our escape which only brings torment, fear and greater bondage. We must learn to kiss the chains - offer it up to God - accept His mercy and allow death to our will in order to bring life.")
updated by @john-and-carolyn-daniels: 04/14/15 12:24:35AM