Living Free
Popular phrases like "Be Brave" and "You're Enough" seem to be spreading through Christian media today. While they sound good and inspirational, I fear phrases like this might tip the scales a little too far to one side when as believers we should seek balance. While I understand the effort to break free from the bondage of lies, I believe this mentality could merely transfer us from one prison cell to a new one. When we choose truth and balance over both selfish ambition AND pitiful lies, we find the road to living free.
God calls us to live in freedom to follow him, live humbly, and show mercy. When we focus our attention on empowering ourselves with our own works and abilities, we may just be accepting a new shiny pair of shackles and can miss an opportunity to embrace the freedom God offers. We often become successful and show others how to do the same. While there's nothing wrong with celebrating our hard earned awards, respect, and recognition, if our hope and worth are found in them we run the risk of heartbreaking loss. We all have moments of failure or unexpected life disruptions, and in those hard moments, if we are bound to something other than Christ, all of our joy and peace will fade away right along with our earthly achievements. Real freedom exists when we are a slaves only to Christ.
"But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life." Romans 6:22
In an effort towards a balanced view, allow me speak to the other side of the scale. It's no secret that women/moms compare themselves to each other. I'm not sure we can help it. I remember a season when I was a young(er) mom with only preschoolers and feared the thought of something happening to me. I entertained thoughts of someone else coming in and doing my job better. I imagined this beautiful and perfect mom/wife/savior woman taking over my life and fixing my parental and domestic mess. I would cry imagining how everyone would love her for rescuing my "poor children" from me and would praise God for choosing to give them a better mom and Justin a better wife. Granted this was a fictional person, but in my mind she was very real. After I allowed these thoughts to nearly swallow me whole, I finally had to snap out of my little pity party by choosing to dwell on the truth. The truth is that no such person exists. "Someone else" will have their own flaws. "Someone else" won't be perfect because they are human. We all have strengths and weaknesses God uses at His disposal. Our perspectives are out of proportion and fears of inadequacy take root because we often compare our weaknesses with others' strengths. Of course we'll never measure up which gives us the perfect opportunity to wallow in our pit of selfishness. God may use others differently than he uses us, but that doesn't make them better.
"Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Philippians 4:8
This path shouldn't take us to a destination of pride seeking all that WE can do; rather, it should humble us to a place where we focus on God and all HE has done and can do through us. With this perspective we not only see ourselves through God's eyes, but that of our enemies (or frienemies), as well. Maybe it's that perfect mom that seems to always get it right, that teacher who judges your parenting without getting a chance to know you, the critical spouse, the overbearing boss, the political bully, or the one who said "you'll never make it." We must remember they are all flawed too. They need Jesus and grace just like we do. We can embrace freedom to live our own calling despite our flaws and freedom to love others despite theirs. So I believe we are faced with three options.
1)We can put on our brave cape, strap the arrows to our backs with our tribe behind us and bow up against these lies.
2)We can feed their words and allow them to take up residence in our minds, crawl in a hole and avoid the world.
OR
3)We can simply lay it all at the feet of Jesus. Our pain, pride, sin, inadequacy, and fear. All of it. We can wipe our faces and take off the cape, and crawl out of the hole because none of it works. We need not fight them nor feed them because it all belongs to God and he doesn't need our help.
If we have to hate or fight someone in order to love ourselves, we've bought into Satan's deception. On the other hand, if we think God can't use us because someone else would be better, we've missed the necessity of the gospel. No one wins without Jesus. God calls us to pick up our cross, follow him, and love others as we love ourselves. There's no room or even time for comparison. We can walk with him boldly and freely allowing him to use us, praying for those who mistreat us, and celebrating how He uses others. There's work to be done and we need each other. EVERYTHING we do should point others to Jesus. So maybe instead of a call to "Be Brave" or believing that "You're Enough" we can humble ouselves and "Surrender Bravely" to all God has for us. We can lock arms and balance the scale by accepting that we alone are not enough, but that "He's Enough" and with his power and grace can use us because we belong to Him.
"So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."
1 Peter 5:6-7
God calls us to live in freedom to follow him, live humbly, and show mercy. When we focus our attention on empowering ourselves with our own works and abilities, we may just be accepting a new shiny pair of shackles and can miss an opportunity to embrace the freedom God offers. We often become successful and show others how to do the same. While there's nothing wrong with celebrating our hard earned awards, respect, and recognition, if our hope and worth are found in them we run the risk of heartbreaking loss. We all have moments of failure or unexpected life disruptions, and in those hard moments, if we are bound to something other than Christ, all of our joy and peace will fade away right along with our earthly achievements. Real freedom exists when we are a slaves only to Christ.
"But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life." Romans 6:22
In an effort towards a balanced view, allow me speak to the other side of the scale. It's no secret that women/moms compare themselves to each other. I'm not sure we can help it. I remember a season when I was a young(er) mom with only preschoolers and feared the thought of something happening to me. I entertained thoughts of someone else coming in and doing my job better. I imagined this beautiful and perfect mom/wife/savior woman taking over my life and fixing my parental and domestic mess. I would cry imagining how everyone would love her for rescuing my "poor children" from me and would praise God for choosing to give them a better mom and Justin a better wife. Granted this was a fictional person, but in my mind she was very real. After I allowed these thoughts to nearly swallow me whole, I finally had to snap out of my little pity party by choosing to dwell on the truth. The truth is that no such person exists. "Someone else" will have their own flaws. "Someone else" won't be perfect because they are human. We all have strengths and weaknesses God uses at His disposal. Our perspectives are out of proportion and fears of inadequacy take root because we often compare our weaknesses with others' strengths. Of course we'll never measure up which gives us the perfect opportunity to wallow in our pit of selfishness. God may use others differently than he uses us, but that doesn't make them better.
"Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Philippians 4:8
This path shouldn't take us to a destination of pride seeking all that WE can do; rather, it should humble us to a place where we focus on God and all HE has done and can do through us. With this perspective we not only see ourselves through God's eyes, but that of our enemies (or frienemies), as well. Maybe it's that perfect mom that seems to always get it right, that teacher who judges your parenting without getting a chance to know you, the critical spouse, the overbearing boss, the political bully, or the one who said "you'll never make it." We must remember they are all flawed too. They need Jesus and grace just like we do. We can embrace freedom to live our own calling despite our flaws and freedom to love others despite theirs. So I believe we are faced with three options.
1)We can put on our brave cape, strap the arrows to our backs with our tribe behind us and bow up against these lies.
2)We can feed their words and allow them to take up residence in our minds, crawl in a hole and avoid the world.
OR
3)We can simply lay it all at the feet of Jesus. Our pain, pride, sin, inadequacy, and fear. All of it. We can wipe our faces and take off the cape, and crawl out of the hole because none of it works. We need not fight them nor feed them because it all belongs to God and he doesn't need our help.
If we have to hate or fight someone in order to love ourselves, we've bought into Satan's deception. On the other hand, if we think God can't use us because someone else would be better, we've missed the necessity of the gospel. No one wins without Jesus. God calls us to pick up our cross, follow him, and love others as we love ourselves. There's no room or even time for comparison. We can walk with him boldly and freely allowing him to use us, praying for those who mistreat us, and celebrating how He uses others. There's work to be done and we need each other. EVERYTHING we do should point others to Jesus. So maybe instead of a call to "Be Brave" or believing that "You're Enough" we can humble ouselves and "Surrender Bravely" to all God has for us. We can lock arms and balance the scale by accepting that we alone are not enough, but that "He's Enough" and with his power and grace can use us because we belong to Him.
"So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."
1 Peter 5:6-7
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