A few weeks ago I had a dream that I was escaping from prison. I met my close friend who helped me swim across a wide river and find myself on free land. I realized that there was something in my heart that the Lord wanted to free me from. There was some kind of inner prison.
Several nights passed. I woke up and in my head from a dream, one phrase “The Shawshank Redemption” was spinning. I understood that I had heard this phrase somewhere and once, but in my sleep I could not understand where and what it was. I googled this phrase and understood that it was the name of the movie.
The English word redemption also means salvation, liberation. Its interpretations are as follows: 1. The act of saving (rescue) from sin, mistake or evil. 2. The act of returning or receiving something in return for payment or payment of a debt. The word redemption is used in the Scripture in reference to Christ, who redeemed us on the cross with His blood from the power of Satan, from sin and its consequence, eternal death.
So I prayed, asked the Holy Spirit to speak to me through this movie and sat down to watch. From the very first moments of the movie I recognize myself in the main character, Andy. I am in despair. Sometimes I wish I could get drunk like him so I wouldn’t feel the inner pain. He makes a mistake, gives in, gets drunk, and then doesn’t remember what happened. In addition to the loss of the person closest to him, he is also accused of killing her and her lover. It is not his fault. He knows his guilt towards her, as he says later in the movie. He understands that he did not take care of his wife enough, but he also understands that 20 + 20 years in prison is more than enough. And in his 19th year in prison, he confesses to his friend Red that he has paid in full.
Through the movie “The Shawshank Redemption” I saw that I could learn how to get free. Inner freedom. Freedom of the soul.
My 16 lessons from the movie
1. Desire for freedom
Andy knew that he was going to be in prison for 40 years. He knew the reality he found himself in and learned to live in it. But he did not accept the bondage. Freedom was his goal. There were other prisoners who, having received freedom, could not live in it (the example of the old librarian).
2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
2. Have hope
Andy talks about hope, despite the horrors of prison. What are the prison warden, the harassment of the “sisters” and the long days in solitary confinement worth? The man dreams of freedom, the boundless ocean and a boat. “”Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies”. ” are Andy’s words in the movie The young financier behind bars knows how to hope.
Proverbs 4:25 “Fix your gaze on the path ahead”
Hebrews 11:1-6 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
3. Seek help in God’s Word and prayer
The geological hammer that Andy used to hammer the prison wall was hidden in his Bible, in the book of Exodus. Daily study of Scripture and prayer (practical application of the Word) can break down the thickest wall between me and freedom.
John 8:31-32 “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'”
4. Assess the situation correctly
Know your wall. Shawshank Prison is famous for its thick walls, beyond which it is impossible to escape. Andy knew about stones. He understood that a pickaxe could hollow a hole. He knew that the material of which the walls are made is susceptible to chipping.
5. Be persistent and patient
Andy did not stop chipping away at the wall, which is why there was a result. He hid the fragments of the wall in his pants and shook them out unnoticed in the prison yard. He did this every chance he got. It took 19 years. And this required perseverance.
James 1:4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
6. Have a plan for your freedom and do it wisely.
Andy had taken care of the secrecy of the escape operation, the tools he would need, his provisions after his escape, and his place of freedom and rest. He had everything planned out in detail.
7. Do not reveal your secrets to the enemy
Andy carefully concealed his escape plan. Neither the warden, nor the guards, nor the other prisoners knew about it. Only his closest friend, with whom he planned to share the joy of freedom, knew. Andy hid the pickaxe in the Bible and hid the hole in the wall behind a poster. He disguised his activities as a hobby of carving figures from stones.
Matthew 7:6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
8. Do not lose your vigilance
Andy made a big mistake when he found out who really killed his wife and her lover. He knew he was innocent, and now he had evidence and a witness. He went to the warden, and Andy had discovered before that he was a deceitful man. He underestimated the power of evil that was hidden in the warden. And thus he lost the opportunity to be released early and ended up in solitary confinement.
The Bible calls us to be vigilant.
1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour
9. Resist the Devil’s Attacks
The prison “sisters” wanted to break Andy. Yes, they caused him a lot of harm. But he did not succumb to either moral or physical pressure.
James 4:7 “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
10. Be useful on the path to freedom
Andy, having lost his freedom, everything material, external, did not lose himself. He remained who he was by vocation. He realized the potential, the talents given to him by God, used his knowledge to the benefit even in his most vulnerable state. He cared for the needs of his fellow prisoners. What is the worth of just the episode with a cold beer on a hot roof! He organized a library, turned on classical music, taught, filled out tax returns. He gave and served.
Matthew 20:26–27 “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.”
11. Take What Is Yours
The warden hid money for himself and used Andy and his knowledge to do so. The enemy wanted to rob Andy even in this. But the talented financier was finally able to use the money to his advantage when he was free.
Stealing is the enemy’s tactic.
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
But God allows his own to take what is his. Remember the Israelites as they came out of Egyptian slavery. They were allowed to take the good of Egypt. This story is in the book of Exodus.
12. On the path to complete freedom, you will deal with impurity
Andy had to crawl through sewage pipes full of impurity. He vomited, but he kept on crawling.
The path to inner freedom is a path of spiritual purification. It is confession and liberation.
2 Corinthians 7: 1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
13. Be Purified
Andy, having been freed from sin, was washed by the rain. I am washed (cleaned, purified) by the blood of Christ, shed on the cross for my sins.
Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins!
14. Prepare clean clothes for a life in freedom
Andy took off his prison clothes and put on clean clothes that he had managed to keep in the polyethylene. He was ready for a life in freedom. Nothing now said that he was a prisoner. This was a completely free man with his hands raised to heaven.
Ephesians 4:22-24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
15. Enjoy the Holy Spirit
The ocean is boundless and deep. This is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Andy went to live by the ocean. And he was also repairing a boat so that he could enjoy sailing ocean. A relationship with the Holy Spirit is like a boat trip. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is literally an immersion in the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
16. Let your Friend Experience Freedom
It was not up to Andy to set his friend Red free. But Andy gave him hope. Andy told him how to find the ocean. The last episode is a meeting of friends in freedom. By the ocean, by the boat. It is an invitation to a relationship with the Holy Spirit together, in a community of like-minded people.
That is why I share these revelations with you. I want to share with you the hope of freedom in Christ.
Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, * but through love become slaves to one another.
I want to share that together we can interact with the Holy Spirit and have a free life, a life of abundance, made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.
John 10:10, Jesus said: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.