Handcuff Jesus? You may think that’s a preposterous idea. Why would anyone want to handcuff Jesus? And if they did succeed at that, what would it accomplish? After all, he has strength greater than any super hero. Can a human being really subdue the Lord of the universe with anything as simple as handcuffs?

 Before you answer, remember it has been tried before. Jon Weece, a preacher friend from Kentucky, got me thinking about this when he tweeted the following:

 Peter cut off Malchus’ ear. Jesus put it back on. Someone dared to put handcuffs on those powerful hands.

And still today some try to bind the hands of Jesus. Those who seized Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane had no idea who they were arresting. But too many times today it’s his followers who limit the work of Jesus with the handcuffs they use on him.

He allowed the soldiers to take him, because this was all a part of God’s plan. But he arose from the grave to show that nothing can bind him. The irony is that he had the power to stop all of this, yet restrained himself to show us the power of redemption and resurrection in our lives.

That’s still true today. The handcuffs we place on Jesus will not stop him from doing his work in our world. I see this true in at least four ways.

We parents are charged with teaching our children, and I know Laura and I have taken the responsibility very seriously.

But as I reflected on another birthday celebrated by one of our daughters, I realized again how much they are teaching me.

Let me tell you about Ella, who turned 15 May 3. A few months ago I wrote about her sister and described her as fierce. I’m inclined to use the same label for Ella (WHERE does this quality come from?!), but I realize a second word describes her even more perfectly.

Ella is confident.

Jeffrey and Katelyn are recovering drug users. Each of them has been clean for almost 6 years. But some would use the word ugly to describe many of their years in their past. Jeffrey and Katelyn would probably agree. They’re very open about the seamy life they’ve left behind. They’ve even put it in print. But before you read the details, let me tell you more.

I answered my cell phone’s ring and heard a longtime friend on the line. He asked me, “Are you sitting down?”

“I’m driving,” I answered.

“Well, pull over. I have something to tell you.” I did, and he said, “My wife has taken our daughter and left me. I had an affair, and she just found out about it. I don’t know what I’m gonna do.”

I got on a plane the next morning, and when I saw him, I said, “Are you willing to do whatever it takes to restore your marriage?”

Everyone’s talking about Tiger Woods this week. Not only because he won the Masters golf tournament, not only because that was his 15th major win, but most especially because it was his first major win since 2008.

The years since then were marked with a series of dark chapters. Sex scandal. Divorce. DUI arrest. Debilitating back pain. At one point his world ranking dropped to below 1,000.

And while commentators hailed his victory as “one of the greatest career revivals in the history of sports,” I see something more. To me, the Tiger Woods comeback is a redemption story that shows all of us how to make our own turnaround. We are all Tiger Woods. He took at least four actions that will put anyone on the road to redemption.