Not threatened by the cage

My good friend, John, received a word-picture for me, a vision, while I was using the bathroom. 

Several years ago, we were meeting at our favorite breakfast place, and I had shared with him how confused and stuck I was feeling.  I wanted to move forward in my calling, but didn't know how.   The confusion had whipped itself into a white-out snowstorm and the car I was driving didn't have windshield wipers.   I felt like I had just blindly veered off the shoulder into a ditch, unable to get leverage or traction:  the wheels where spinning and spitting, with no hope of forward motion.

My friend, John, is not one who casually says he's received a vision for someone.  He's cautious about making such declarations, while listening for anything valid in what he might be hearing. Here's what he said when I returned from the Men's Room:

Jim, how trapped do you feel?  [Which immediately caught me off-guard.  I wasn't even aware that I was feeling trapped.]  Then he revealed the word-picture God had given him for me:

I see Aslan.  He's caged.  But he's not threatened by the cage.  He is struggling with patience... pacing.

Jim -- he's still Aslan, regardless of the cage.

I started crying.  Through this tailor-made imagery, God was conferring upon me an identity both noble and fierce;  and revealing that the lion's identity wasn't limited or defined by the cage.   Further, any sense of condemnation was absent:  rather than scolding me for feeling limited and impatient, God indicated that he understood my frustration and impatience. 

What are your 'cages' and what is God saying to you despite them?
...........................................................................................................

Related video:  Kingdom of Nobles

Feel free to post a comment below.