Unfettered…
The hum of bees fills the orchards. Birdsong swells upwards into the expansive blue dome above the slopes of the Soutpansberg Mountains. Even the harsh chant of the touracos sounds like “Good! Good! Good!” It has rained. The red, sandy road curves and disappears ahead of me into a tangle of knee-height grass, weeds and wild flowers. The dogs, panting, have chosen to walk where neat rows of Macadamia trees throw deep, cool shade to my right. Nuts hang fatly in green husks. Beyond the order of the plantations, the mountain becomes a profusion of indigenous vegetation.
Each plant has its own way of celebrating life with unbridled abandonment. Each bird proclaims the glory of the day with its own unique song. Simply. Extravagantly. Unfettered.
Where the wind blows …
For a moment I pause to absorb the humming, chanting silence. A light breeze begins to tug at my shirt. It blows my hair across my face, tickling my nose. Sun-touched grass seeds begin to sway on slender stalks. I cannot see the wind. But the grass stalks sway. Who can harness the wind? It is unfettered. The scripture (John 3:8) speaks of the wind … and the Spirit – like the wind, we cannot see where it comes from and we cannot see where it goes, but it moves us – it moves things. If only I could be like those grass stalks – leaning whichever way the wind blows. Unfettered.
Unfettered is an interesting word.
Acts 4:13 “Now when they saw the boldness and UNFETTERED eloquence of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and untrained in the schools (common men with no educational advantage) they marvelled, and they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13, Amplified Bible Classic Version).
Peter and John stood accused by the authorities of doing a good deed for someone. They had no formal training in public speaking. In the portion described in Acts 4, Peter and John were publicly responding to these allegations. They had to make a legal argument. The authorities feared losing popularity because of Peter and John’s activities and the growing surge of faith in Jesus Christ.
By their own admission, the members of the council realised that Peter and John were moved by a power that was not of man. Peter and John’s skills did not make logical sense – they were not supposed to be “eloquent”. Surely they did not have the expertise to frame an intelligent argument because they had no education. But their eloquence was remarkable and according to the Word, “unfettered.”
Who defines our abilities?
Our own abilities need not be defined or fettered by others. They are God-given. He defines them purposefully. Not only that, but He equips us as we set out to discover our abilities and He knows all about boundaries. Sadly, it is often the boundaries imagined and prescribed by experts, ourselves and the crowd, that cause us to struggle to embrace our abilities fully. We become “fettered”.
In a sense, unfettered and unbridling are similar in meaning. Unbridling or becoming unfettered, means freeing myself up from ideas and opinions that have hindered me from pursuing that purpose for which I was designed. Who defines your possibilities? If you have been diagnosed with a ‘disability’ or found yourself physically impaired in some way due to an accident, who decides where your boundaries are?
“You can’t!”
The featured image pictures Sheryl playing polocrosse on her horse, Magic. As a young girl, playing polocrosse was forbidden. There were boundaries. Too dangerous for someone with cerebral palsy, they said. She may fall. Her right hand can’t control the horse while she uses the polocrosse stick with her left hand … they said. She ended up playing high speed provincial polocrosse in spite of the boundaries. You can read about this and other challenges she faced, in the book with which we are busy.
The good news is that, if you are seriously searching for your God-given purpose, you will find it and live it. We can embrace our abilities, not our disabilities. Don’t give up. The future might seem uncertain, you might not know what your true capacity is … but you will never know until you give it a go. It may mean pushing some boundaries.. making some waves … rocking the boat. If you are faced with the impossible, how will you ever know that it IS … possible … if you don’t give it a try.
Sandy