Real Freedom

One of the biggest shifts I have noticed in my life this last year is how truly FREE I feel. There is a verse in the Bible that sums up how I feel perfectly: "Who the Son sets free is free indeed" John 8:36.

I have heard this verse so many times and I thought I understood its depth. But as you walk out this life, you realize that God is never going to be fully known by you, and therefore, His word will be the same. There will be layers and life in every word you read in the Bible, and you will never fully unpack the meaning.

So what does this verse mean to me now? It means I finally know who I am.

I have spent my entire life allowing the world to put me in a box and honestly, I loved those boxes. Those boxes made me feel safe, protected, and sane. I was everyone's favorite employee because I would adjust myself for the sake of the greater good. I would buy into the mission of whatever I was a part of and align my entire life accordingly. But I would always come to a point, whether in relationships, jobs, or organizations, where I would lose myself. Where what I believed to be true didn't add up to what I was being asked to sacrifice.

This time though, when the Lord shook me out of the institutional church system, I realized something. He didn't ever want me in a box. I wasn't crazy to always become unsettled. I wasn't the problem. I was slowly being transformed, and He showed me that He never asked me to box myself in. That His systems and ways are greater than the world's, and these gifts that I kept yielding to these organizations were actually given to me to expand the kingdom on the earth, not to be molded into a world that saw me as a number.

I have a Father who knit me together and prepared a life just for me. This life is not to exalt a system that is centered around pride and profit, nor is it a life that is to glorify me and build my kingdom, but He has built me for a plan and reason for HIS kingdom.

He radically changed my life since I gave Him my full yes, and I never expected Him to do it the way that He did. But when I stopped trying to prop up a way of life that made me feel safe and comfortable and actually allowed Him to walk me through each day, I discovered freedom. A freedom that the world promises but cannot deliver. A freedom that is never going to be understood by those still holding on to the world. A freedom that is scary and yet life-giving all at the same time.

I encourage you with this... JUST FALL! Just let go. Your freedom is only given by HIM, and He is offering it, but you can't grab hold of it if your hands are still clinging to the chains that bind you!

What the World Says is Freedom

Freedom in the world is full of broken promises. If you cling to the things of the world you will never get there. THERE isn't a real thing. I often picture it like those dangling carrots that are hooked around the neck of the person chasing it. It is always in front of them but completely out of reach. No matter how fast, hard, or aggressive you chase after it you will never get it until you realize it's attached to you!

Money, careers, cars, toys, fame, authority, marriage, friendships, etc. all promise freedom and safety. No matter what you're chasing, the world offers a counterfeit, and it will always be empty. If you know the right people, have enough money, and work hard enough, you'll be able to rest. Work now, rest later. And we all see the trap, but we refuse to walk away from it. When someone finally puts it down and refuses to participate, those around them are angry. Angry that they thought they could just walk away. But anger isn't the true emotion; it's jealousy because deep down we all want that breath of air where we stop striving, stop chasing, and stop participating.

I've noticed a strange phenomenon, I try to shout at people that their true freedom is in letting go and they get angry. They tell me I'm the problem and refuse to let go of that thing they are clinging to so desperately. But I see God's large and gentle hands directly under them to catch them if they would just trust the fall.

I think this is why Shabbat was a law given in the 10 Commandments. God saw that we would constantly be working to rest, and He wanted us to understand from the beginning that rest wasn't a future goal but a present reality.

Nothing but the Son can set us free, and until you accept the freedom He has given you, you will never find rest. He's not withholding it from you; you just don't want to let go of the lie and walk the narrow road in His footsteps because it will seem foreign and countercultural to you. It requires discomfort, but discomfort will produce faith, and faith is required in this relationship with your creator.

Freedom is a reality ONLY found in Jesus.