As 2016 has come to a close, I have been doing quite a bit of reflection about all these past 12 months have held. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I scroll through my social medias, and it saddens me that so many are rejoicing that this past year is finally closing its doors. Whether it be celebrity deaths, Trump being elected president, or some other myriad of tragedies, it seems to me that, for many people, 2016 has been a year marked with upsets and tragedies. This really, really struck me. I spent a good amount of time feeling burdened for people whose 2016 didn’t turn out how they had originally hoped.
Then I started to have this strange feeling that we were never meant to experience these feelings. Sadness, upset, hopelessness, failure, disappointment—these things were never designed for us to endure.
For me, unlike so many others, 2016 has been marked by one word: freedom.
In August, I was reading a devotion about something called a word focus, and I was really intrigued by the idea. So, the next week I spent some time praying about a word that God wanted me to focus on for the remainder of the year. As always, He is faithful, and that whole week I was bombarded with sermons, devotions, and conversations about freedom.
So, freedom became my focus for the remainder of the year.
Now for the sake of transparency, and to help you understand why these past 4 months have been so impactful to my life, let’s back up for a minute. I’ve spent a majority of my life afraid of many things, but more than anything, I’ve always been afraid of people. Afraid of what they would think of me, that I wouldn’t be enough for them, or that I wouldn’t live up to the standards they had for me. It was honestly paralyzing—like I was living my life on a perpetual first date. Always having to watch what I was saying, trying to make sure I presented myself in the best way possible for the person/people I was around.
It. Was. Exhausting.
In a matter of days, it became clear to me that God desperately wanted to see me set free from this bondage I was living in.
Galatians 5:1 says “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” (NIV, emphasis added). God set us free for the sake of being free! His biggest desire is to see you free! And through Jesus, that freedom is already won; we don’t have to do anything to earn it or deserve it. IT’S ALREADY OURS!! And because of that, we don’t have to be slaves to anything. If Christ has set us free then we are free indeed!
Friends, this actually revolutionized my life. Instead of wondering and worrying about what people said and thought about me I started to listen and believe what God says about me. And let me tell you, it’s a pretty amazing list. God loves his children so much! Look at this:
Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
Ephesians 1:3 “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.”
Luke 12:7 “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
And the good news is, the Bible is packed full of verses just like these; the whole thing is God’s love letter to you! He calls you wonderful, blessed, treasured, brave, and someone of great importance. He promises to be with you through all the highs and lows of life. His companionship gives us reason to not be fearful in the face of seemingly impossible circumstances. His love for you is so expansive that he counted your eternity as more valuable than the life of his own son.
If you are currently struggling, and feel like you are in bondage to opinions and expectations of others, I urge you to pick a few of these verses and repeat them to yourself. Say them so many times that you start to live by them. The price has already been paid for your freedom, so reach out and take hold!
