For so long I couldn’t see that I was held captive by the chains that covered me.
I looked around at others whose chains were not as easy to hide-
All the while, mine were pulling from all sides.
“Guilt,” “condemnation,” “you’ll never be enough,”
“man-pleaser,” “do more,” “come on- you gotta be tough!”
Doing the good Christian thing is easy for me,
but where’s the relationship in which I can be free.
Judgment, holier than thou, gotta keep the look-
I guess it can be done in staying by the Book.
Partly wanting to rebel- to taste of the “world” I’ve missed…
yet knowing my heart won’t let me because Jesus my heart has sealed and kissed.
I can’t control or “fix” family, friends, nation or foe-
because it’s love- unconditional love- that they really need to see and know.
Religion, distance, not knowing my neighbor, wanting my own adventure more than to love,
I now sacrifice all I am finally realizing that only in letting go can the chains come off and I can rise above-
this world is not my home and is full of too many demands,
these chains I’ve held so tightly because they’ve become comfortable and molded to my hands
My Lord asks me to drop these chains, then come and dance,
because what it is really all about is the purest love romance.
I spin and dance, I am finally free-
to live as He created me to be.
He speaks to me as a daughter, not as a laboring slave,
because it’s about my love and obedience, not following rules just appearing to behave.
“Freedom” He cries! “Freedom” is why I died.
“Freedom” to come and with me to abide!
So it doesn’t matter what I next accomplish or set out to do,
but because I’m loved as His daughter, I shout a big “woo-hoo!”
(poem of Freedom, written 6/26/07)
