Hugh loved to dance. He
was so free when he danced. He danced all day. For Hugh, life was one long
dance. He loved being free, free to move his arms, free to leap, free to move
slowly, free to move gracefully, free to move fast and wild. To Hugh, it just
felt right. For Hugh, or to give him his full name, Hugh Manity, dancing was
freedom itself. Oh how Hugh Manity loved to be free.
One day, during one of his
favourite dance moves involving a wild flailing of the arms whilst leaping high
into the air, Flesh approached him quietly. Flesh knew Hugh Manity very well.
He had known him all his life and knew all his strengths and weaknesses.
“You look happy” He said.
Hugh nodded and smiled and carried on flailing and leaping.
“Are you happy because you
are free?” asked Flesh. Hugh nodded again and tried a leap with a twist in it.
“It’s good being free
isn’t it?” said Flesh. Hugh nodded but a small frown had entered his forehead.
He wanted to dance and was being distracted. Flesh noticed the frown.
“I’m annoying you aren’t
I? Is it because I am interrupting you” He suggested. “I better stop
interrupting you hadn’t I?” There was a pause.
“It’s rude to ignore
people you know” Flesh turned and looked away. At this comment Hugh stopped
dancing. He didn’t want to be rude. Hugh, stood with his hands on his hips and
looked at Flesh. Flesh smiled and said “Thank you”.
Hugh returned to his
dance, but chose a more graceful move this time. Flesh watched. “You know”, observed
Flesh “I know someone who does that movement much better.”
Hugh tried harder and leaped
higher and longer and waved his arms more wildly. “Oooh, I like that move.”
Flesh said thoughtfully “I suppose being jealous of your betters can drive you
to that, but you’ll never be as good as them.”
Hugh slowed down feeling
disheartened. Flesh stepped closer to Hugh and puts his hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry though” he says “Someone will love you for your dancing…
probably…maybe… who knows?”
Hugh’s dance slowed to a
stop. His shoulders slumped and he looked down at his feet. Hugh Manity wanted
to be loved. How could he be free if he wasn’t loved?
“Don’t be sad, I have an
idea,” Flesh tried to encourage him and Hugh looked up hopefully “Let’s try
some things that can improve your dancing. Things to make you feel better.
Things to help you get your freedom back. You want to be free again don’t you?”
Hugh nodded earnestly. He
wanted to be free.
Flesh handed over a hat.
Hugh put it on. “This is a lucky hat,” said Flesh proudly “If you wear it you
will come into great wealth, possibly. It’s worth a gamble isn’t it? Give it a
try.” It was quite a heavy hat. It weighed him down a bit but it would be worth
it for the money.
“The thing is wealth is great,
it’s cool, and it sets you free.” Flesh advised. Hugh liked the idea of looking
cool. He put it on and tilted the hat slightly to one side to look even cooler.
“Now try on these boots”
Flesh handed over a large pair of boots. Hugh looked at them doubtfully. “Go
on, try them. They will make you look beautiful when you dance. You want to be
loved, don’t you? And to be loved you have to look beautiful. These boots are
perfect for you. If you know you are beautiful you will be loved and then you
can be free.”
Hugh wanted to be free, and
he knew he had to be beautiful. He put them on and tried to move but they were
cumbersome and he started to get frustrated at how they restricted his
movement, his freedom.
As Hugh started to lose
his patience Flesh gave him some gloves. “Now these are brilliant” he said
“There are things out there you will want to touch, things that are important
to set you free, but these things can make you feel bad when you touch them. If
you wear these gloves you can’t feel bad because you aren’t actually touching
it and you can be free in the important things you shouldn’t really touch –
makes sense really!”
It didn’t make sense to
Hugh but he didn’t like feeling so restricted and if there are things out there
that can make him feel free again, even if they could make him feel bad, then he
had better wear the gloves.
Hugh put them on. These too
were heavy, but he didn’t care, he wondered what things he could touch with
them.
“You look amazing, You
have so many things that can set you free, you must be feeling so free!” urges
Flesh.
Hugh wondered why he didn’t
feel free when he had a hat to give him wealth, boots to make him beautiful and
gloves to stop him feeling bad. He tried harder to dance but the hat, boots and
gloves stopped him moving freely.
“Are you OK? Flesh asked.
Hugh put his thumbs up. He
did not want to admit he couldn’t dance. He did not want to admit he was
failing. He did not want to admit he didn’t feel free when he had so much. He
started to think that maybe he should try something else.
“I have something else for
you.”Said Flesh, “Something that will help you regain some of your old freedom”
Flesh knew Hugh very well. He knew how he was feeling and wanted to help. Flesh
gave Hugh a bottle to drink from. “This can also ease some of the pain you’re
feeling from not being able to dance anymore.”
The words ‘not being able
to dance anymore’ hit Hugh hard. He realised at that moment he couldn’t dance
anymore. It hurt. He took a swig of the drink. He took another, then another,
then he slumped to the ground. The pain was awful. He drank again and laid down
and curled up in a ball, in pain. He wanted to be saved from this pain. He
desperately wanted to dance. He desperately wanted to be free.
At this moment his heart
reached out and he cried for help and a man walked up to Hugh. The mans’ name
was Spirit.
“Hello” said Spirit. Hugh,
still on the floor, looked up, waved and had another swig of the drink. Hugh
hoped he can help.
Spirit turned to Flesh, “I
heard his cry. Why is he in pain and not dancing in freedom?” He asked.
Flesh knew Spirit. He had
met him before. “Hello Spirit” He said
Flesh knew Spirit would
come when he heard the cry, although he hoped he wouldn’t as he wanted to do
the helping. Spirit always came when he heard Hugh Manity call for help.
That’s Hugh Manity that
is.” Said Flesh, awkwardly.
“I know who it is” Said
Spirit. “Why is he not free?”
“He tried to be free.”
Flesh replied.
“He needs help” said
Spirit.
“I am helping him to be
free. He is nearly there. I’ve got so many things that help. He doesn’t need
your help”
“Did you give him these
things?”
“I did. They will help
him”
“Oh Flesh” Said Spirit
both angry and sad at the same time.
“I’d like to see you try”
Said Flesh in a sudden flash of temper. He didn’t like Spirit interfering.
Spirit knelt down beside
Hugh Manity. “Hello Hugh” he said “I know who loves you. You are loved.”
Hugh opened his eyes.
“Good he can hear me” thought Spirit.
“Do you remember when you
danced free?” asked Spirit quietly.
Hugh nodded. “You didn’t
have all these things then. Give them up”
Hugh put the bottle down
and took off the gloves. He waved at Spirit who smiled back at him.
Flesh was at boiling
point. “How is he going to be free if he gives all these things up?” he
shouted.
Flesh was very angry and
also absolutely dumbfounded at the suggestion of giving things up. “Don’t do
it” he cried out. He glared at Spirit “You know Hugh Manity needs all these
things to be free.”
Spirit gave Flesh a look.
The type of look that makes Flesh crawl - and he did.
He turned back to Hugh and
said “You don’t need these things to be loved. You don’t need them to be free.”
Hugh took his hands away
from the bottle. Hugh had his gloves off already and Spirit asked “Why have you
got these huge boots on?”
Flesh was whimpering in
the corner “They make him look beautiful” Hugh smiled. He loved looking
beautiful.
The One who loves you, did
so before you had boots. Hugh Manity heard this and believed it. He removed the
boots and wiggled his feet and toes. It felt good.
“I suppose he has to the
hat off as well” snarled Flesh.
“You suppose right” smiled
Spirit.
“Where is the hope going
to come from now? Without the lucky hat he can’t have wealth, he can’t have
anything good” Flesh was seeing red now.
“Oh Flesh you are so
wrong.” Said Spirit “Hugh Manity take off all that is holding you back.”
Hugh obeyed. He knew it was
right and he gave up all that Flesh had given him. Spirit reached out helped
Hugh Manity to stand.
Flesh is now defeated.
Spirit explained to Hugh
Manity “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness and self control. There is no law against such things.
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions
and desires. If we live by the Spirit let us also be guided by the Spirit.
Spirit pauses and declares
with strength and love “And I will say this …When the Son sets you free you
will be free indeed.”
Hugh Manity heard and
believed and danced again and is free.
