Lynette Noni, a female Australian author once remarked: “Sometimes the people who act like they don’t care are really the ones who care the most. They feel so much that it overwhelms them, and to keep from falling apart, they hide behind easy smiles and quick laughter, acting like nothing matters. It’s a defense mechanism, a way to protect themselves from the world. A way to keep from getting hurt.” Revelation 18:2 reminds us: “And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.”
A gilded cage is defined as an enclosure, often with gold leaf or other exterior glamorous material intimating luxury. It can metaphorically be considered to conceal the truth. It is a place where someone appears to live in opulence but where he or she has very little happiness. The phrase emphasizes even though something may appear beautiful, luxurious, or desirable on the surface, it can still inhibit freedom and lead to feelings of isolation or misery. The primary purpose of a cage is to confine and restrict. No matter how decorative something may appear on its outside, it is the true function, quality and inner purpose that prevails and counts. It is often used to describe situations where someone is living with an abundance of material comforts but lacking in love, autonomy or true fulfillment. A gilded cage appears to indicate all the golden aspects of life which satisfy a comfortable or even luxurious dwelling place but within, confines movement, choices, and self-determination. It is inherently constraining in practice, but appertains to many common everyday factors of life, including relationships, careers, or societal expectations.
It is considered a false habitat that stifles independence and growth. It may cause offense within idolatry purposes or cause severe problems by its misrepresentative pretensions. While the Bible doesn't explicitly feature the phrase "gilded cage," the story of the golden calf can be seen as illustrating the concept. The Israelites, trapped in the wilderness and longing for a tangible symbol of God, create a golden calf, essentially trapping themselves in idolatry while Moses is on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments. This illustrates how outward luxury (the gold) can mask a lack of true freedom (spiritual bondage). Exodus 32:1-10 reminds us: “When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us.
As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden[a] calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”
While not considered a primary definition, a "gilded cage" may be used to represent a situation where someone hides their true feelings or emotions. It proposes a life of outward happiness and comfort that masks an underlying inhibition or unhappiness, which can often include the suppression of genuine feelings or emotions. People hide their true emotions for a variety of reasons, including self-protection, social expectations, and fear of judgment or conflict. Sometimes, it's a way to maintain composure or navigate social situations more smoothly. However, consistently hiding emotions can be detrimental to mental health and relationships.
God can be a source of escape from any cage. The concept of trusting in God freeing one from a "gilded cage" is metaphorical and subjective, but can be elucidated in various ways. It suggests that while one might be living in comfortable circumstances (the "gilded cage"), true freedom and fulfillment come from the open door, faith and trust in God. This freedom isn't necessarily a physical escape, but rather a liberation from internal constraints, anxieties, or a sense of being trapped in a superficial or unsatisfying existence. The alternative possibility of "sitting on the fence" generally implies a lack of decisiveness and an unwillingness to commit to a particular stance or choice. While it doesn't directly equate to hiding from the truth, it can certainly indicate a reluctance to confront or acknowledge it. A person on the fence might be avoiding a difficult truth or delaying a necessary decision, perhaps due to fear, uncertainty, or a desire to avoid conflict. Whether rejecting God constitutes living a lie depends on one's definition of truth and the role of faith in one's life. From a religious perspective, particularly within Christianity, rejecting God is often seen as accepting a falsehood, as God is considered the ultimate truth. However, from a secular perspective, rejecting the existence of God does not necessarily equate to living a lie, as it can be a sincerely held belief based on self-reason and falsehood.
Living in a gilded cage can equate to a form of hiding from the truth or even living a lie. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us: “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Courtney M. Privett, a female American author once remarked: “The two most common lies in our world are 'I'm fine' and 'You'll be okay'. They are said without harmful intent, and often said in an attempt to placate worries, but still they tell us it is not our place to make another person uncomfortable or to draw too much attention to ourselves. Over and over, we mindlessly repeat variations of the same two phrases as we hide within our lies and attempt to spare others from the miserable truth. I'm fine. I'm okay. You're fine. You'll be okay. Everything will be all right. We become our lies, but only on the surface. Underneath, we are not fine and they will not be okay. We all know this but we're afraid to speak it.”
There are warnings in the Bible that highlight greed and emphasizes that a person's life is not defined by the abundance of their possessions.
The parable of the Rich Fool illustrates that storing up earthly wealth while neglecting spiritual riches is foolish, as one's life can be taken at any moment, rendering material possessions meaningless in the face of death. Jesus teaches that true wealth or freedom lies in being "rich toward God," which means having a right relationship with Him and prioritizing spiritual values over material wealth. Luke 12:15-21 reminds us: “And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Amen.
