HEARTLIGHT(R) Magazine: Special Feature: Round in Circles

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INTRODUCTION by Phil Ware — I was first presented with the problem in honest detail after a message on the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). A woman who had been very supportive of my ministry came up and said flatly: "I hate that story. I hate that God is identified as Father. It makes is so hard for me because of what my father did to me when I was young." She forced a smile, turned and walked away as the tears began to glisten in the corner of her eyes.
There are things that break your heart. You want to help, but don’t know how. People get trapped in a cage they didn’t make and don’t deserve but can’t find the key necessary to open the door. No one else on earth can open the door and set this restless hostage free. We can love them. We can hold them. We can be a tender friend. But we don’t hold the key.
Oh sure, most days they get by without much conscious thought about it, but it’s always there. Kinda like the background noise on a poorly recorded tape. Without the key, it’s always there. When they least expect it, something’s said or heard or smelled or remembered and the hollowness of their captive soul reminds them that they are still a hostage.
When I popped the tape in the player to listen, I expected to hear good harmony and some fun acappella songs. What I didn’t expect to find was someone who had found the key. You don’t find songs that talk about this, much less that have the key.
I was half way through the song when the lyric grabbed me and made me go to rewind, pull over and look at the words on the jacket. I had heard the words to the first half of this song before—the song of the caged bird without a key. It was the final verse and chorus that gave me the chill. Here was someone who found the key!
If you find yourself still a captive bird, my prayer is that you may find it too. It’s time to let the captive bird go free.

‘Round in Circles
When I was a little child, the days were long and sad.
Those who said they loved me, acted differently instead.
So alone... so afraid... I’d escape to where all was well.
I’d close my eyes and find the land of cotton candy and carousels.

And I go round in circles, aching deep inside.
Oh, round in circles, where else can I hide?
Chasing after answers that seem just beyond my reach,
Longing for the peace to calm my soul.

Teddy bears and pigtails turn to a young girls dream.
But I built a wall around my heart, never touched by love it seemed.
Afraid to try... Afraid to care... I’d escape to where all was well,
I’d close my eyes and find the land of cotton candy and carousels.

And I go round in circles, aching deep inside.
Oh, round in circles, where else can I hide?
Chasing after answers that seem just beyond my reach,
Longing for the peace to calm my soul.

Then I learned of One whose scars went much deeper than my own,
That He loves me just the way I am, and He claims me as His own.
I got down on my knees and cried, Dear Father, please forgive.
Help me put the past behind, and in Your presence live.

No more round in circles, the Lord is by my side.
No more round in circles, His arms are open wide.
The Father is the answer, He has the power to make me whole,
And God alone can heal my wounded soul.

If this song arouses old memories or unlocks doors long shut, please visit with a Christian counselor about them. David A. Seamands’ now classic work Healing Damaged Emotions is also a good place to begin your own personal journey to open your broken places to the Lord’s healing. If you find yourself struggling with harming your own children, please seek help immediately with a Christian counselor before you place an unbearable burden in your children or spouse’s life.
I have always been amazed at how much of the Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) are dedicated to the Jesus’ last week of life. But in these few days, we see those who were supposed to love him abandon him, those who were supposed to die for him deny him, those who had learned from him betray him, and those who were supposed to protect him sentence him to death. This bitter passage of grace roots God’s forgiveness, salvation, and hope in the world which spins us round in circles. While unfair and absolutely abhorrent to God, people can do inhuman and ungodly things to each other. God knows this, not just because of his divine concern for us, but he also knows it experientially because of his time spent with us.

“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, troubled, and under trial, he is fully able to help those of us in our temptations, troubles, and trials.” (Hebrews 4:16)