Let Freedom Ring
My fellow Americans, Independence Day is upon us.
America the beautiful - embattled and imperfect, flawed and frayed as she is - will celebrate 250 years of freedom this week. And while we have plenty of "home improvements" that seem (quite) imperative, there's still no place on the planet I'd rather live.
But that's just me. (Granddaughter of immigrants, mom of a Marine, a girl who's simply grateful to reside in this sweet land of liberty.)
I like my freedom, that's why.
I realize freedom isn't something one can fully appreciate if they've never lived oppressed, enslaved or incarcerated. How can we rightly value something we've enjoyed our entire lives? It's like access to clean water. If you've always had it, you can't really understand how crucial it is... nor how terrifying it would be to lose it.
Dictators, traffickers and terrorists aren't the only enemies that threaten our freedom. (And jails aren't the only thing that keep people imprisoned.)
Anything that keeps us hogtied, trapped or bound does.
My hot take?
We can be shackled by all kinds of things.
Bitterness, pride, jealousy, insecurity, anger, shame, trauma, toxic relationships...
We were created to live free. But most of us - by the time we're 12 or 20 - are tied up in knots by one thing or another. And it usually starts with "circumstances beyond our control."
Sometimes they're caused by tragic events.
And sometimes by hurtful (or hateful) people.
Abandonment/abuse/violent crime/critical Illness/catastrophic injury/generational poverty/natural disaster/death of a family member. (The list is long... and heartbreaking.)
Those things wreak havoc on hearts and minds, especially young ones.
And they can lead to all kinds of unwelcome challenges... and...
Chains.
Take addiction for example. Addicts aren't "bad apples." Mostly they're just regular people suffering great pain (physical, emotional, spiritual) and trying to cope. They start using __________ in a desperate attempt to lessen/numb/dull/destroy their anguish. And __________ only makes things worse.
Believe it or not, we're all prone to become addicts of some sort.
Alcohol.
Food.
Drugs.
Gaming.
Gambling.
Scrolling.
Shopping.
Sugar.
Porn.
Pick your poison.
(And don't doubt that it is.)
Freedom happens when we're brave enough to get... real.
When we decide to be honest about our pain, our weaknesses, our unwitting (or stubborn) attempts to fix ourselves, rather than letting God heal us from the inside out.
But how?
We can't get clean 'til we come clean.
Own up to what we're covering up.
Invite God's grace and mercy to unshackle us.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by
faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the
Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition]
have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual
awakening brings a new life]. (2 Corinthians 5:17, AMP)
The truth (Jesus) tears down strongholds.
You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32, CEV)
The healer (Jesus) makes us whole.
After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace [who imparts His blessing and favor], who called you to His own eternal glory in Christ, will Himself complete, confirm, strengthen, and establish you [making you what you ought to be]. (1 Peter 5:10, AMP)
The shepherd (Jesus) leads us to a peace-filled, love-drenched life.
A thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I came to give life—life in all its fullness. (John 10:10, NCV)
It is for that kind of freedom - wide open spaces of grace, abundance, beauty - that Christ set us free.
Christ has freed us so that we may enjoy the benefits of freedom. Therefore, be firm in this freedom, and don’t become slaves again. (Galatians 5:1, GW)
Why would we willingly return to a dungeon? Yet, heartbreakingly, so many of us do.
If you're hogtied, trapped, bound or addicted, my prayer for you today is that you turn.
Turn away from the thing that's binding (or breaking) you. Turn to Jesus who came to proclaim freedom to the captives. Ask him to turn you loose from every entanglement. Trust him to turn your life around and give you a fresh start...
Today.
May this be your very own Independence Day.
(And one day at a time, forever after.)
Let freedom ring.
