Fear or Freedom?

The path of life leads upward for the wise;
They leave the grave behind. (Proverbs 15:24 NLT)

Fear or Freedom. What’s it going to be?

I can think of several people in my life right now, whose lives are not a full and complete reflection of what Christ intends. But before my heart and mind goes to them, I would be foolish not to examine closely how I myself have chosen to align my life fully with Christ. If I’m honest, I’m not always doing it right. But what is my measurement? Is it Christ, or do I start questioning how it all looks to the people around me? Am I more concerned about how I am able to pull it off, make my life look as if I have it all together? Or am I drawn to the Father and welcoming His correction? Fear of rejection, of not receiving the approval of those around me in whom I trust for advice, mentoring, support, it’s a struggle. I don’t like it, I don’t want to disappoint but at the same time I consider myself to be a confident and independent person who doesn’t live or die by somebody’s else’s final opinion of me. It matters, but it’s not a deal breaker for me. The extreme of that would be for me to not care at all and live an incredibly prideful life. I try to maintain a sense of balance in my life, day by day, and it starts by aligning my heart and mind with my Father God. Fear has no place to stand when I start here. I struggle more so on some days than others however; because I allow the burdens of this life to overwhelm me, to consume me. I have shared this before, but I like to fix things. If something is not right, I want to figure out a way to make it right. And that’s especially true in my relationships. I have let it burden me to the point of becoming nearly sick physically. God does not intend this for me. Therapy, yoga, meditation and journaling have all helped me work through this over the years. I know I can count on my Father God to meet me in those overwhelming moments, precisely when I need Him most. He is good, faithful, and I am so thankful He accepts me and loves me in spite of myself every single time.

Are you burdened with something in your life right now? Is it yours or someone else’s? Regardless of how you feel about it, or how you are dealing with it the question you must hear and answer from the Father is this:

Do you trust Me?

We have a choice. We always have a choice. Whatever your burden, whatever it is that has weighed you down for today, perhaps for a week, or a month, or for years…..why are you allowing yourself to be so burdened by it? What is the point? What do you hope to accomplish by sitting and wallowing in the dirt and dust of this grave you have made for yourself?

Fear, complacency, regret, disappointment, disillusionment, resentment, bitterness ….. it is a vicious cycle you will find yourself swept in to and lost to those around you who love you and want to help you find a better way of coping. This points to the blessed necessity of having a community of believers around you at all times. When we isolate because of our poor choices, because of how life has spun out of our control, we are only doing ourselves more damage. When we choose to shift our vision from ourselves to see our Father God is right there and has been all this time, that’s when the shift from living in fear to living in freedom can begin.

I am only human, but I have the Holy Spirit residing in me to help me when I am burdened for someone I love that I know is struggling in life. I know and trust my Father God to guide me out of the depths of my burden, and into the freedom of releasing it fully to His care. This is hard. It is something I struggle with all the time. But He strengthens me and reminds me every time:

I am with you always, and I have got this!

He is God, I am not.

Thank you, Father God, for meeting me here every time.