Ever found yourself stuck in a mental prison, unable to break free? This episode illuminates the concept of 'metaphorical jail cells', as inspired by a scene from the film "God's Not Dead". We dive deep into this idea, revealing how our thoughts, ideologies, past regrets, and comfort zones can often become invisible barriers, limiting our potential. We draw upon insightful scriptures and share compelling real-life examples to better understand the ways in which we can trap ourselves within these self-imposed boundaries.
Our exploration continues as we share profound stories of individuals chained by their own mental barriers – an isolated older woman, a politically rigid man, a regret-ridden soul, and a man locked in the comfort of familiarity. These narratives will serve as a stark reminder of the importance of dialogue and conscious effort in liberating ourselves from these metaphorical shackles. We firmly believe that acknowledging the presence of these jails is merely the first step; the real challenge lies in finding the strength to break free. We urge you to tune in, confront your own 'jail cells', and discover the key to unlocking your true potential. Remember, the power to break free lies within you. So, join us every Sunday at 7 pm and allow us to support you on your journey towards self-emancipation.
Ever found yourself stuck in a mental prison, unable to break free? This episode illuminates the concept of 'metaphorical jail cells', as inspired by a scene from the film "God's Not Dead". We dive deep into this idea, revealing how our thoughts, ideologies, past regrets, and comfort zones can often become invisible barriers, limiting our potential. We draw upon insightful scriptures and share compelling real-life examples to better understand the ways in which we can trap ourselves within these self-imposed boundaries.
Our exploration continues as we share profound stories of individuals chained by their own mental barriers – an isolated older woman, a politically rigid man, a regret-ridden soul, and a man locked in the comfort of familiarity. These narratives will serve as a stark reminder of the importance of dialogue and conscious effort in liberating ourselves from these metaphorical shackles. We firmly believe that acknowledging the presence of these jails is merely the first step; the real challenge lies in finding the strength to break free. We urge you to tune in, confront your own 'jail cells', and discover the key to unlocking your true potential. Remember, the power to break free lies within you. So, join us every Sunday at 7 pm and allow us to support you on your journey towards self-emancipation.
Hey, welcome to the bartender's perspective. I'm so happy to have you here. Work is done for the day. Pull up a chair, have a seat, I'll pour you a drink and let's get started.
Speaker 1:
In tonight's podcast, I want to talk about a concept, and when I started thinking about the concept it's a jail cell and its implications for us and our world and our daily lives. I got this concept from a scene in the movie God's Not Dead. That's where I got the inspiration for this. So I'm going to talk about that scene, list some relevant scripture and finally give some examples of scenarios of jail cells people built themselves and some tragic stories of people who I stopped seeing. Due to this, please beware if you my listeners, this episode is going to be dark as I am taking you into the jail cells of the minds of people that I once knew and some real world scenarios. But to give you context, there's a scene in the movie God's Not Dead. I made this reference in an earlier podcast in my open, closed door opportunities episode. I'm going to describe the scene. If you want to go, look it up on YouTube, you can. And, just for the record, I am not endorsing this movie, I'm just referencing the scene for the context.
Speaker 1:
But in this scene a wealthy son goes to visit his alien grandmother who was stricken with dementia. He confronts her about how she prayed and loved God her whole life but then ended up in this predicament. He mocked her and mocked the Almighty and compared his perfect, wealthy life to hers. He was the meanest person he knew, that she was the nicest person that he knew and then asked her to explain that and to his surprise, despite being in her catatonic state, she answered what he probably thought, you know she wouldn't hear. And she answered very vividly. She straight up said sometimes the devil lets people live a life free of trouble so they won't turn to God. And she called her son's life a jail cell. In this case. You know, the inside of the jail cell is greed, power and wealth. You know the jail cell is nice and cozy, with its fancy house, expensive car and, we can presume, great wealth. All the while he has the option, you know, to walk through that cell door as it is wide, wide open, but chooses to ignore it. And then one day time runs out and the cell door slam shut and suddenly it's too late. Let that one sink in, y'all. I mean, go watch the scene if you want to. I mean it's, it was brilliant. And you know I've thought about it ever since.
Speaker 1:
People struggle every day with many things that they struggle with inwardly, but rather than deal with those things, they focus outwardly and you know they choose to cope with them in many ways, such as drinking, gambling, you know, and one that I find interesting giving advice to others when they need to be seeking answers for themselves in their own lives and outwardly. You know these are all true, but it all begins, you know, inside your mind, from the book of Psalms, 107, verse 10,. It reads, you know, some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners and affliction and denirons. You know this verse is part of a larger passage, you know. If you want to go read it, that's up to you. That speaks about God's deliverance and redemption of people and distress. In this specific verse it describes a situation where people were in a state of darkness, suffering, you know, captivity, but through God's intervention they were set free and brought into the light. It symbolizes the idea of God's mercy and you know rescues and times of trouble.
Speaker 1:
I connect with this one pretty good 2 Corinthians, chapter 10, verses four and five, for the weapons of our warfare are not physical weapons of flesh and blood, but they are mighty before God for the destruction and overthrow of strongholds, in as much as we refute every argument, thought and reasoning and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the true knowledge of God, leading every thought and purpose away, captive into the obedience of Christ, the Messiah and the anointed one. You know this verse is often interpreted. It emphasizes the spiritual nature of the Christian battle or struggle. It suggests that Christians should rely on God's power, and not their own strength, to overcome spiritual obstacles and challenges. It also encourages believers to take control of their thoughts and bring them in line with the teachings of Christ, ultimately leading to spiritual growth and obedience to God. It was a really good one from Proverbs, chapter 23, 7, for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. That's King James Bible, king James version for those of you know. This verse highlights the idea that our thoughts and beliefs can shape our reality.
Speaker 1:
Galatians, chapter 5, verse 1, is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. This verse emphasizes the freedom that comes through faith in Christ. It warns against returning to a self-imposed state of bondage. But in order to do what's in these scriptures, you know, there has to be a choice. It's not one of those things you can just oh yeah, I read these and I'm good. Someone has to make the conscious effort and willingly do so first, to make that step towards the open cell door. There are some that have gotten lost and wandered so far into the darkness. They have lost sight of their light, and I'm going to cover that in more detail in another podcast when we talk about how the balance between light and dark is upset and the consequences that follow. But anyways, not getting off topic, the rest of this episode, I'm going to give you stories About various people that I've known or people I've read about and just, you know, various simple, real world scenarios that y'all can relate to. Oh, I had a regular John. God, I miss John.
Speaker 1:
He was a young professional. You know, when I met him and he was just starting out, I mean, he was just out of college, he had just moved to this. You know, steady started out in the middle of the school. He was so enthusiastic and ambitious, such a great fellow he started getting all these series of objections from better job opportunities. You know he had a lot of failures and over time I just began to see, you know, he would just outwardly. What I was seeing was him doubting his abilities and there came a point that they just started drinking more and instead of persisting and Continuing to seek those new job opportunities, you know he let himself become trapped and a cycle of self-doubt. Because I just saw it over and over and over again and we came in and I would ask him how his day was. And a lot of new challenges and you know, promotions he just started avoiding Because he was worried that he was gonna fail. I Sadly had to start monitoring his drinking as it became worse, sadly, over time. I Guess he built mental barriers around himself. I mean, that's what I saw, you know. But because he took, he constantly Was telling himself that he wasn't good enough, he stopped coming in at one point. So I don't know what happened to him after that. This self-doubt and insecurity prevented John from pursuing his true potential and limited his career growth. It's a common scenario where persistent self-doubt and create a self-fulfilling prophecy, keeping individuals from realizing their capabilities and achieving their goals. This is a really good one.
Speaker 1:
Contextually from history, you know it's a grudge. You know that became prison walls From forgiveness and happiness. Queen Elizabeth, the first of England Well, queen Elizabeth, she held deep resentment and suspicion Towards her cousin, mary, queen of Scots, due to political and personal conflicts. This grudge led to Mary's imprisonment and eventual execution, causing Elizabeth to carry the weight of her decision and the consequences of her grudge through her reign. While Elizabeth was a powerful and influential monarch, her inability to forgive and let go of this grudge had a lasting impact on her happiness. You know, in the political climate of her time oh man, I remember this one it was hard I had a regular.
Speaker 1:
Now she struggled with a gambling addiction. You know it all started. I would see her playing on her phone all the time, as most people tend to do with the bar. You know, when I started hearing dings and beeps and then I found out she was doing, you know, casino games, you know we would talk and talk and she progressively stopped talking nearly as much. You know, I found her to be doing more and more. You know the games on her phone. And then one time I didn't see her for a while and she came in and I asked she was doing and she's like, oh well, I've been going to the casino. You know we have a casino nearby our city and she was taking more and more trips and Over time she started coming in like I saw her anxious, being upset, and you know I'm like, are you okay? And she's like, yeah, yeah, I lost, you know, $200, but I'll get it back. And it just I started seeing that more and more, y'all, the metaphorical jail cell in her life, it was the constant need to feed her addiction and it really did eventually lead to financial ruin in her family. I mean, man, it breaks my heart. Y'all strain, a relationship with her husband and, most importantly all, a great emotional distress, distress that it brought to her two children. As a result, you know I said she kept me up to date and she felt trapped by the cycle of chasing losses and she just couldn't escape the misery it brought into her life. The last time I saw her, because her sponsor thought it best that she give up drinking as well, and she came in, had a club soda and cranberry and she was slowly recovering and support group and sadly working on getting visitation for her children again, who I Once had a friend from college.
Speaker 1:
You know he was a talented musician. Today, however, he has a deep fear of failure. He let this fear prevent, prevent him from pursuing a career in music despite his immense potential. He worried about not being good enough. You know he was facing rejection, you know, and struggling to make a living as a musician. You know he let that fear act as a metaphorical jail cell which today he is trapped in a more conventional job and lifestyle of walking towards his true potential in the world of music. I know to this day he's not happy because he complains about it all the time. So yeah, this one was hard to hear.
Speaker 1:
I really liked her. You know I once had a regular and she was an older woman. She had a good corporate job nearby. You know she made a lot of money. You know, whenever she came in she drank. And then, of course, you know famous fashion. You know bartenders and their patrons. You know I got the skinny. Of course.
Speaker 1:
What was really going on inside? You know, keeping this general because you know these are again her personal details and I don't want to delve into them she had experienced several painful and traumatic relationships in her past To protect herself from further emotional hurt. She built emotional water and water. She felt hurt. She built emotional walls around her heart. You know, she became distant and avoiding any deep emotional connections. I mean anybody that approached her at the bar. Yeah, she, while she was outspoken and a good talker, she would reject any advances from anybody. It was crazy, but anyways, over time this isolation created a metaphorical jail cell, leaving her feeling lonely and disconnected from meaningful relationships, even though she longed for genuine connections herself. Imposed emotional barriers kept her from forming the close bond she desired. Despite her success, I was sad to learn of her death when I saw her obituary not too long ago. She was a great woman. I miss her.
Speaker 1:
Oh man, this guy. I had one regular. I could not even say the word politics Because he strongly adhered to a particular political ideology and he refused to consider alternative perspectives. He was stubborn as a mule y'all. He was unwilling to engage in constructive discussions or even reevaluate his beliefs. You know he's straight up sad. You know I'm stuck in my ways. I'm like I can tell. Ultimately, he was unable to adapt to changing political landscapes and grow as a more open-minded and informed citizen.
Speaker 1:
Last I heard y'all gotta kick out of this. He's going through a divorce with his wife and the reason? I know that his wife came in for a drink to let me know how they were doing, because he'd come in to see me like clockwork, and always talked about me when he got home and she just had to come meet me in the legendary bartender and she told me everything that was happening. So I hate it for him, I guess. Anyways, on this next example, for those of you listening with children or young adults, please be warned.
Speaker 1:
This next example, you know it ends with self-harm, so please pause or skip over this example if you think it would not be appropriate for them or for you to hear. So with that I had a regular. He was like clockwork as well. When he would get to shot number five Patron Silver, you know he would always start unloading the whole bunch of his past regrets and when I asked how he was doing, you know he'd failed in numerous relationships over the years. Since any time there started to be progress, you know he somehow ended that relationship for any reason because he couldn't find it in himself to get past things he did and give himself forgiveness. I recently read an Instagram post a local one about him, and some of his family members found him dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. All he left was a note that said I'm sorry. So yeah, that one hit me hard too, because you know I care about my regular. I really do. So this is a good example.
Speaker 1:
You know, constantly comparing to others, you know you're creating yourself a self-imposed competition. You know that keeps you in a confined space of envy. You know, another JL cell. If you will Imagine a business owner, you know he constantly compares himself to a rival company. If this individual may fixate on their competitor's success, you know mimic their strategies, you know, without considering their own strengths, and constantly measure their worth against their rival, and all the while becoming trapped and feelings you know that lead of envy and will limit focus on their own growth, so getting themselves stuck when they don't have to be.
Speaker 1:
Oh, you got this guy. I have a lot of regulars who are from small towns, originally good people. I had this particular regular man. He was a country bumpkin y'all. He was the word y'all a lot. He had a routine that revolved around familiar places of people. I mean he truly acted like somebody from a small town. You know, whenever, I mean when it came to like ordering drinks and the menu in this instance, he rarely ventured beyond his comfort zone.
Speaker 1:
And eventually I learned from watching him this jail cell a familiarity shielded him from new experiences. You know he was hesitant to travel or explore new cultures, sticking to the same job for years and he was resistant to change. As a result, his world remained limited. You know he missed out on many opportunities for personal growth and new perspectives. You know, the last time I saw him I came in excited about a new job he'd gotten, as a car washer. And I'm like you know I'm happy for you and there's nothing wrong with being a car washer. I just want to state that for the record. You know it's not a demeaning job. We all need to get our cars washed. But the only thing the reason I bring this up is he had a college degree, a four-year college degree in business. But yeah, I'm just saying, it's all I'm saying.
Speaker 1:
Anyways, you know, in the metaphorical jail cells of our lives, we often imprison ourselves with self-doubt, fear and the burdens of the past. But, as we've explored in this episode, these cells have opened doors and fighting God or whatever brings meaning to your life, can help you walk through them into a world of freedom and transformation. It's a reminder that the key to unlocking our potential lies within and we have the power to break free from the confines of our own making. These metaphorical jail cells teach us the profound lesson that it's never too late to rediscover ourselves and to seek purposes and to embrace and limitless possibilities that await just beyond that open door. And make that decision, y'all to get up and go before it is too late and the cell door slams shut.
Speaker 1:
But in closing, if you like my podcast I hope you like this one. You know this one was really hard to write. Please feel free to tell at least three people about my podcast. If anyone is struggling with this, you know. If you think they'll get something out of it, you know. Or go express your concern to somebody. Whatever the case may be, y'all just start talking to one another again. This will help me to continue to get my message out there to more people and help me to grow and reach more people. If you love my show, wanna show your support, you can go to my website, leave me a tip on the tip jar, but unless you wanna know the drink. Thank you so much for stopping in. Here's your check my regular podcast hours, or as always every Sunday night at 7 pm, so you can come back and see me then. Have a great night y'all.