Freedom: the condition of being free, the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints.
We picture a woman in an abusive marriage or children being freed from trafficking… But what about you, are you free? Are you able to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints? Are you free to be yourself or are you restrained by living up to others expectations of you? Let’s take it even deeper. Are you free to be who you really are or does some inner voice silence you?
Does fear keep you restrained from stepping out with power to do the things that burn in your heart? If fear did not hold you back, what would you do? What would you say? What would you create?
Freedom always costs something.
Jesus came and paid for our freedom from the power of sin and death. I’m hoping you’ve experienced that freedom.
But even after receiving such a glorious freedom many Christian women still live in self-imposed slavery.
We live stifled.
We read book after book about how to become a better woman, wife or mother but still ache with the feeling of being smothered by the expectations of others. Guilt flows as we read the Facebook status’ of women who cherish every waking moment with their children while we pray at noon for bedtime to come.
We step into our capris, grab our yellow markers, attach our plastic smiles and stroll into Bible study with an ache in our heart hidden behind a giant shield of perfection. We may fool these ladies but we’re not fooling God or ourselves. He knows that even though we spend a half hour each morning reading a devotion and reciting prayers from our favorite pocket version of the “power of a praying someone,” we haven’t spent any real time with the Father.
We’re so programmed to “do,” that we don’t even miss the “be.”
But we know something’s wrong. We know that our heart and our words don’t commune.
We haven’t rested in His love.
Being a good Christian wife and mom doesn’t earn His love. He doesn’t love you more when you finish your exercise video than He does when you stuff yourself into your fat jeans and throw down another peanut butter cup. In fact if we are honest, we carry a mental list of all the things we should do before we are loved by Him.
Our prayers are filled with requests but void of the heartfelt “Father, this hurts, help.” We’re missing the prayers that draw us to His heart and let us crawl into His lap for comfort.
The performance is thriving but the relationship is lacking.
Intimacy with God cannot be replaced by good deeds. Ladies, there is more. The Father wants a relationship with you that brings freedom.
It’s the freedom to be who He created you to be. It’s the freedom to breathe, the freedom to shine.
Freedom to be vulnerable and leave the plastic smile in your make up bag, admit that you’re struggling and watch the masks fall off other women like paper mustaches when they hear that they are not alone in their prison of performance.
Freedom to be brave, because when you know that the God of the universe loves who you are, bad words, secret sins and pity parties, it makes you brave.
You don’t have to DO something to be accepted by Him, you have to BE something: His daughter.
When you choose freedom through a relationship with Jesus, He gives you “the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints.” Take your stand ladies, because when that happens, everyone is blessed.
“Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.” Galatians 5:1 The Message
