claus·tro·pho·bic

 adjective \ˌklȯs-trə-ˈfō-bik\

of a room, space, etc. : not having enough space for people to feel comfortable : causing claustrophobia

: having a fear of being in closed or small spaces : having claustrophobia

: not having or providing enough freedom

I do not like to watch fish swim around in little bowls or even giant tanks. I have tried to enjoy their beauty and fluidity, but I can't get past the way they bump into the glass...tap-tapping...over and over again only to rise to the surface and sink once again to the rock filled bottom.

Whether or not a goldfish cares about its freedom is irrelevant to me. My chest feels tight and I take a deep breath.
Yes...
watching a fish live in a bowl makes me feel claustrophobic. 

Do you think God felt that way? I mean, do you think that He just couldn't sit and watch this human race remain captive any longer...banging our heads against the walls of sin and shame..trapped, watching His beloved creation struggle in captivity, His heart longing to set us free, so He took on the form of a man, still being God, and lived this claustrophobic life, breathing in and out our depravity...just to set us Free?

Galatians 5:1
"It is for freedom that Christ set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

So...
Why do so many of us, as children of God, get back in that little fishbowl of captivity when He is offering us the freedom to roam the oceans of His endless love and grace? 

(Don't worry Zibby...Mommy isn't gonna flush Dorothy down the toilet and wish her Bon Voyage!)

But...

I'm sure ready to leave my old "fishbowl" behind.