Freedom

Freedom is such an interesting thing. You can meet people who are trapped in their bodies, unable to move their limbs, completely dependent on others, yet they have this freedom and contentment in their soul greater than someone who is free of physical limitations. Joni Earekson Tada is a good example of this. I’ve learned a lot listening to her teachings as I too have faced physical disability. God is beyond the physical, which means that even when your physical world is falling apart you can still feel peaceful in your soul. God is in the world and beyond our world. He is with us in every state of life, physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

When I was in that car accident 7 years ago and ended up in a wheelchair, bedridden, and lived in a dark room, the Lord taught me so many lessons. He took me to a place of contentment different than what this world tells us we can have. Normally the world would say losing control of your limbs, living in pain, vertigo, and in a dark room equals despair. But the thing the Lord helped me see was that I never lost the most important thing in my life, the thing I was most passionate about, the thing I loved the most- Jesus.

As I’ve made progress with my health these past two years, I feel like Satan has attacked me in different ways. I was experiencing some freedom from only living in a dark room. I was learning how to walk again. But then other prisons would try to come and trap me. Emotional pain from difficult times of my past would come up and haunt me. Over and over the memories of loss would replay in my head. Other times, I felt condemning thoughts from the enemy flood my ears. “You’re not good enough, you could have handled this better, it’s your fault, you’re not worthy of love etc.” I often struggle with seeing all the places I fail and none of the places I excel.

All these prisons of the mind, heart, and even body can come throughout our lives. This is something we human beings all face. Whatever your prison is it’s taxing. It’s exhausting. And it’s limiting. Satan wants to limit us. His goal is to stop us or to hurt us. Jesus said, “The devil comes only to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10. He introduced this concept that we could have “abundant life” even through the trials of life.

Only a few chapters later in John 16:33 he says, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world.” He has overcome the world. This life on Earth isn’t “It.” Because Jesus came to earth, was tortured for our sin, and died in our place on the cross, He made a way for us to live in eternity with Him in Heaven.

We live in a country in the US where our ancestors fought for our freedom. I don’t think we realize how important it is to God for us to have freedom. Sometimes we think God wants us to be “bound” by having us live according to his “rulebook.” But nothing is further from the truth. He prioritizes our freedom so much that he gave it to us in the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, he gave human beings “freewill.” God does warn us all throughout the Bible things to stay away from, and healthy things to follow.

We are warned to stay away from sin because it binds us up and puts us in a prison we don’t see coming. Hatred, lust, gossip, pride, lying etc all these things result in a heart of turmoil. The strange thing is we don’t like how depressed, or lonely, or angry we feel so we run to more unhealthy behaviors to momentarily distract us from how we feel inside. But those behaviors often become addictions, and those addictions only add to the turmoil we are already feeling. Only God can free us from this place.

And the good news is Christ can give us freedom. He can revive our souls and give us a passion for life. I’ve been following Jesus all my life and I still fall into these prisons. But I know the one who can set me free. When I stop focusing on my circumstances, or “what not to do”… and instead I tilt my head up to Heaven and focus on our loving father…that’s when I feel freedom start flooding my soul :).

I know it can sound strange when you hear people talk about God the way they would talk about a person they know. They’ll say “Well I was talking to God and He showed me…” Sometimes they talk about this two-way relationship occurring throughout the day, when they’re filling their car up with gas, cooking dinner, annoyed at a bad driver, frustrated with their coworkers. And I love this because you absolutely CAN have a relationship with God where He is part of your day, not just your “prayer time.”

The more you get to know God, the more amazing He is. Even after years of getting to know Him, His kindness, grace, justice, wisdom, sense of humor, and more amaze me. And even after years of knowing Him I can still get distracted with the worries of this world. The fear, anger, and hopelessness being fed to us through the news, advertising, social media or other outlets can take me straight to those chains that bind me inside. But refocusing my attention on our Creator who loves us and has a plan for us breaks those chains.

You, yes you reading this, YOU are special, you are loved, and you are created for a reason. Don’t give up. Don’t listen to the lies that tell you that you don’t make a difference. God has a plan for you and it matters. Life might get tough, and you might feel bound up inside with fear, and discouragement. But God wants to give us that “Abundant life.” And he wants to give us that “peace” Christ talked about. So keep putting one foot in front of the other, keep taking it a day at a time, and keep crying out to Jesus. He will catch you when you fall. He will help you back to your feet. He will help you through whatever trial you’re going through. And he will give you that freedom of soul you want so desperately.

Freedom doesn’t come from just one prayer. It comes from a relationship with God. It can be a struggle I know as I too struggle. But as we follow Jesus these chains continue to break off and freedom lives in our soul.

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.