All I wanted was a job to feed my family and do the right things, the next thing I know I am in an inescapable trap.   Those are the words I hear from people so often today, how did we get in this trap?

To set the mood for today’s blog read listen to a catchy tune from my YouTube channel called Little Bird.   It is a tune about life being really short, man, I do not want to live my whole life feeling trapped, but there sure are days that it feels that way.

If you really like being depressed or want to join together with a different writer to wallow in your sorrows read this hilarious excerpt from Escobar Walker titled I hate my job, it sucks!  (it is great laugh)   We really don’t need a whole lot of help to get our feathers ruffled to feel trapped do we. Just click away or turn on the radio and you’ll find plenty of people singing the same tune. Misery does like company though, if you want to join in, or take steps for release.

To get out of the trap, first it pays to know how we got there.

I was letting the dogs out this past weekend and heard a tapping noise. I could not find where it was coming from and assumed it was a woodpecker in our woods. Later in the day, it was happening again.   My heart fluttered when to my surprise I saw this poor bird trapped inside our new bird feeder.   I called my wife out to show her to which she immediately screamed for me to let the little thing out before it dies. I just had to know how in the world this bird got in there in the first place.

I could not figure out for the life of me how the bird got inside the feeder, perhaps a heavier bird was on the handle that plops down to keep squirrels out, and the small bird slipped under the ledge. Who knows?   Some people can blame their family upbringing for why their life is a mess. Or maybe not getting the good education caught up and now you have a lousy job. Bad luck, bad decisions, bad bosses, bad government, they all add up to being trapped. How do I get out?

Glamour magazine has a few suggestions, that make sense and actually provide some cool cues, you can read Here’s What to Do If you Hate Your Job    It does offer some good and humorous tips, not ones I necessarily agree with, but if you are really feeling trapped, every bit of advice helps loosen the noose.

Or….

(If this is your first time visiting Average Joe’s Portico, you have to read the Do you Dare  tab to understand the shift, click here before you read below and come on back if you dare)

DO YOU DARE TO CROSS INTO THE PORTICO?

How did we get in this trap?

Of first importance is knowing, the trap was not the way God designed the perfect situation (perfect IS how it started).   When in the interview process for a job you are presented all the good things about your employer and bosses. Most employers hire you first because they need you and because of that, they want you to have a great working environment as an invitation to have you join in with their business. They do expect you to fulfill a role, to which you agree to follow that role within the limitations established.

God’s original design for ‘Work’ was established in The Fourth Commandment

Exodus 20:8-11

 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work (Have you ever thought of it this way – ‘you do not GET to work’? Work is supposed to be a joy and honor to be creative, like God), you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

When was the last time you got out of bed and were excited about going to work because you “GET” to work? If viewing it as being creative like, and with the mind like God, to go out and create and work just like he did in creating and working to build the universe, you would be.

WHAT BROKE THE HARMONY?

Something happened to break that harmony; of course, we all know the story of Adam and Eve. They only had one rule that God gave them, but it was a biggie. Their role was defined in Genesis 1:28 “Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.”  Their mission was to not only tend the garden, but eventually have their children extend beyond the boundaries of the garden to the outside world. Outside the garden was a world that was dominated by the fallen angels and their ousted from heaven leader, Lucipher. When they broke from grace, it altered the plan.

God’s intention was for man, via His guidance, love, power, and built-in self-control, to rule over and govern it. What a cool plan, instead of God simply saying a word and zapping the evil Army, He assigned us people the chance to prove we were better. Kind of like a business owner knows there is competition, they put a plan in place to be better than the other business. God’s loving plan was to create people, in His image, to prove His love beyond a shadow of doubt, and give to people made in His image with a free will, dominion over the world of darkness.

Instead, man fell. They (and that would be WE) opened up the protection afforded by total oneness with God to the outside influences. If this is a fantasy story to you, and the reality of the Spiritual world is la la land thinking, then it is very difficult to understand anything beyond good ‘work place advice’ and ‘Biblical finance principles’.   While it seems like a failed plan from an outsider’s view, from God’s perspective it was not, He had a redemption plan in place ready to go. It was all part of a plan to show His unfailing love and goodness. Through the redemption of His son, a perfect sinless man on earth, a perfect sacrifice, all was restored that had been broken. Jesus brought back what man gave away.

Today we are in the midst of a place where dominion is occupied by darkness and it is easy to feel trapped like the bird in the feeder. We may think, all I am trying to do is to feed myself and take care of my family, but I am stuck in this cage and have no idea how I got here. That can be a world of depression, anxiety, and hopelessness if there is no way out.

However, we have a choice to take God’s redemptive plan or laugh it off, or intellectually reject it. It seems too simple to just believe. When things suck, as life seems to at times, it is easier to blame the Creator.   It has to be the designers fault I am in this trap to begin with.

When I opened up the lid on the bird feeder, the little bird sat in the bottom of the feeder frozen in place with fear. Although she had been pecking at the glass asking for help, when I came along to release her (and took a picture of her demise, lol) not realizing I was there to help she sat in fear on the bottom of the feeder afraid I was there to cause her harm. She seemed to have forgotten this feeder was filled with food I put there for her. It is like the 50th feeder we have purchased that is supposed to be squirrel proof so she could have a perfect place to eat. But until I flipped the feeder over for her to fall out and escape, she was not able to be released from the trap.

What is it that has you trapped in the world feeling hopeless?  Do you blame the creator as many do?   Do you know how to get out?

This Average Joe knows how you feel, I’ve been there before.   Your comments, questions, or advice to others is very welcome. Please leave a comment or email your private questions to JoesPortico@gmail.com.