Fullness of Life Through Freedom in Christ

Galatians 5:1: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” 

If you’ve ever seen the movie Braveheart, the first image likely to come into your mind is  Mel Gibson’s blue painted face screaming, “FRRREEEEEEDDDOOOMMM!” as he rides into battle to bravely defend Scotland.  And if you’re a proud American, you likely proclaim that our country is great because it is free.  Our beautiful National Anthem even resounds this triumph with the concluding words, “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”  No matter how many times I’ve heard it, those majestic lyrics are enough to bring me (or any other patriot) to tears.  

It’s amazing how much strong emotion is brought on by the word and concept of freedom.  And rightly so- for it is the inborn desire of every person to be free. We yearn for the ability to think, speak, and act without hinderance or restraint; to not be governed by a foreign entity; and to not be imprisoned or enslaved to any person or thing.  

The quest for freedom takes form in many aspects of our lives.  This is evidenced by advertisements aimed at helping us find financial freedom, or advertisements informing us how working at home allows freedom in schedule setting or travel.  We even seek freedom in our physical appearance, choosing clothing, accessories, and hairstyles that reflect who we are as a person. And when it comes to relationships (or even our appearance), we might lean into phrases like, “I’m free to be me.”  We go after freedom in every category of life because it brings relief, joy, and peace.  Some might even say freedom is the foundation for life itself.  

As much as I enjoy the freedoms of this country, or believe in the benefits of financial freedom, or value the right to self-expression and healthy relationships, the truth is, these are not the freedoms I really need.  They are the freedoms I love and enjoy…but they cannot save my soul.  

Galatians 5:1 tells us it is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  This freedom is twofold: 1)Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are forgiven. Meaning, no longer can Satan (or anyone else for that matter) accuse us before God.  Our sins have been paid for in full, and for those who are in Christ, we can stand before God Almighty, uncondemned, covered in His grace. And 2) We are no longer slaves to sin; sin has been dethroned as our master!  Instead, we become servants to Christ. If you find this unsettling or confusing, take comfort in Romans 6:22 which says, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.”  

It may seem paradoxical, but a life lived in service to the Savior of the world is the life of true freedom.  There is no lasting joy to be had when we are in slavery to our sin- for this is a slavery that leads to death.  There is however, infinite and eternal joy found in living obediently to Christ- for this is a servitude that leads to life.  

Indeed, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  This freedom is the entire theme of this website as well as my book, Remade: Living Free.  I humbly invite you to join with me in the pursuit of understanding the depths of this freedom given to us by the God who loves us immeasurably.    

Isaiah 55:9

I’m not really sure why, but I often think about some morbid topics in my every day life- maybe because of my profession, or the constant stream of sadness in the news, or maybe because I feel the need to prepare myself for tragedy. Whatever the reason, I was thinking of these things on a late Sunday afternoon run and praying that God would give me strength and faith to accept whatever was to come my way in the future. I was thinking in terms of some ultimate trauma like losing my spouse or a child, or even experiencing something like the Holocaust (like I said, my mind goes to some deep places sometimes). It may not sound like it, but it really was a nice run! I came home to a homemade pizza made by my daughter and we all sat cozily in the living room eating our dinner and watching a movie. At one point I heard my phone buzz rapid fire style but chose to ignore it until we finished our family time.

Turns out at the end of those message notifications was some really tragic news. The kind of news that makes you instantly deny its truth…until you realize that no, that terrible thing really did happen. Even as I’m writing this I think I’m still in a state of disbelief. While the news did not involve a personal friend or family member, the circumstance was such that it brought me to many tears and left me thinking, Ok God…..Why??? Nothing about what had happened made sense. Not one iota.

Over the last 24 hours my mind has has come to rest on the truth of Isaiah 55:9: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” In light of yesterday’s news and the trials of the future yet to be endured, this is what I must cling to. I have to remember that I can only see in part while God sees in full. And that is so hard because I want to know God’s ultimate purpose now. I want to see how He’s going to use this for His glory now. Because it doesn’t make sense to me…and I want an explanation. Ahhhhh. But then I remember who I am and who God is and I focus my mind on the above mentioned verse. I surrender to the fact that some things I’m not meant to know.

I’m sure there were many people in the Bible who never really knew the extent of God’s plans. While the Apostle Paul could see the fruits of his labor while he lived, he had no way to know the magnitude of influence his writings would have on the Christian Church. And I’m guessing Zacchaeus and the woman caught in adultery couldn’t possible understand how their seemingly small interactions with Jesus would communicate the depths of his love for lost sinners for centuries to come. Now we know in part, but someday we will know in full (1 Corinthians 12:12). Until then, we go on in full assurance of faith that God is good, faithful, just, and most importantly, love. It is not lost on me that I was praying for strength to accept God’s will on that run. I’m in awe that during those miles God was already at work lovingly preparing my heart- which shows just how good and faithful He is. I praise God that indeed, His ways are not my ways, and His thoughts are not my thoughts.

Cows: Part II

I’m not really one for country running, but when one visits the land of Twelve Mile it’s pretty much the only option. It’s actually a nice change up from my usual routes through my flat hometown. The rolling hills make for some good training and often a deer or two can be seen standing in a field or leaping into the woods. All of this makes for a beautiful and peaceful run. But at the top of the long gravel hill on 625 N there is always a herd of cattle grazing in their lot (is that the right word…this non-country-girl is unsure of the farm lingo) I always get a kick out of the cows as they spectate this rare running scene in their countryside domain. Usually the cattle might smell a little, but nothing too extreme. (For reference, the first time I visited my husband’s childhood home I told him it smelled like the fair…that’s when he looked at me and said, “You’re such a townie.”)

On this particular run however, the smell was significantly magnified as it had been raining for the last day or so and the cow lot (barn lot maybe?) had become a muddy muddy mess. As I ran by the cows they stampeded away (rather than just standing there to watch me like they usually do) flinging mud everywhere. Those were some smelly cows covered in filth. Looking at the mud pit and taking in the odor I thought, “That is so gross, and that smell is disgusting!” Then I had another thought: “I bet that’s only a glimpse of what our sin is like to God.” Guess the cows of Cass County Indiana have prompted me toward some serious spiritual reflection these days.

For the rest of the run I pondered how foul our sin is to a holy God- and marveled that He waded into our mess. I wasn’t sure how those cows were going to get all that mud off of them, but my guess was they wouldn’t be able to make themselves clean- just like we could never have taken away the stench of our own sin. Like the cows, we were deep in the muck and mire…and far from Him. But even in our most grotesque state, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). And because of Jesus we are no longer slaves to sin or condemned in our filth. His blood has washed us clean and made us new.

As we head into a New Year awaiting all that 2020 has in store, let us hold fast to the One who not only created life itself, but who created within us new life and a clean heart.

One more thought: In the coming year you might want to be on the lookout for cows…you never know what they might teach you 

Cows: Part I

I’ve had some interesting experiences with cows lately. For some of you, dealing with livestock is a daily occurrence, but for me, a coined “townie,” it’s pretty out of the ordinary.

The first occurrence was about 3 weeks ago when I was participating in a live nativity in Twelve Mile, Indiana. It was a chilly, misty, windy night, so when my mother-in-law stationed me in the stable scene I was definitely okay with that! I was feeling pretty good about holding my statue-like pose as an angel while the stable walls protected me from the elements. Occasionally, I glanced to my right to see my husband and son posing in their positions out in the cold, open park. I felt some pity for them as well as a twinge of guilt in light of the fact that I was undoubtedly warmer than they were.

Well, guilt until the cow in the stable decided to relieve herself via a grand #2! I cannot emphasize enough my disdain for cold weather, but in that moment I would’ve happily traded places with any of the other volunteers in that park in a second! Seriously, that was one smelly incident that I wanted to get away from…and quick! But, what can you do in a moment like that but stand there and pretend to be a happy angel as the cars roll by oblivious to the stench and admiring the baby Jesus in the manger.

As I stood there in my angel like state, I began to think about the fact that Jesus really was born in a smelly barn and that cow dung was perhaps one of the first smells the Savior of the world experienced on this earth. It reminded me of a song title from the 90’s band, 4Him, This is such a Strange Way to Save the World. Indeed, it truly was. His humble birth seemed to be a foreshadowing of Matthew 20:28: “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” To think- He left heavenly glory to experience rough straw, the coldness of night, and the smells of animal excrement- all to end up on a cross to save us from our sin. God in His mighty love saw us in our wretched condition and intervened to make a way to Himself and to make us new.

Which leads me to my second experience with cows… (stay tuned)

Celebrating Emmanuel

What a wonderful day celebrating our Emmanuel ❤️

Even though I’ve heard the Christmas story more times that I can count, it never ceases to amaze me that Jesus left His Heavenly glory to live here on earth for 33 years. Thinking about the humanity of Jesus seriously blows my mind. Jesus ate food. I’ve always wondered what His favorite meal was. Jesus ran around as a toddler. What made Him laugh? What childhood games did He love to play? Jesus felt physical and emotional pain. He experienced what it is to be human.

Hebrews 4:18 tells us that we do not have a Savior who is unsympathetic to our weaknesses, because He Himself was tempted in every way. He was in it with us.

Thankful for a Savior who is God with us- a Savior who came humbly as a baby and reigns as our forever King! Merry Christmas!!!

A little excerpt:

There’s a line in the popular Christmas song “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” that I love: “Peace on Earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” The word “reconciled” means “to restore friendly relations; to work out differences; to be at peace with one another.” To truly be reconciled with someone means that whatever the disagreement was about doesn’t even matter anymore, because it has been settled. When Jesus became our substitute on the cross, He made a way for us to be right with God. Because of this, we have peace in our relationship with the Creator of Heaven and Earth. This reconciliation was possible because Jesus’s sacrifice ended the estrangement that had been caused by sin. Jesus became our Savior and our Friend; He reconciled us to God and therefore Himself.

Even when Jesus walked this earth, He was known as a Friend of sinners. It seemed He preferred to spend His time with the tax collectors and “sinners” rather than anyone else.

I know we in America are not huge fans of the IRS, but in Jesus’s day this dislike was next level. People despised tax collectors, because they were constantly cheating people, charging them extra, and pocketing the difference for themselves. So, the fact that Jesus hung out with these guys, and even called one to be his disciple (Matthew), was almost unthinkable.

He also allowed His feet to be anointed by a “sinful” woman (implying she had had many lovers or was a prostitute), ate in tax collectors’ homes, and welcomed with open arms those whom society deemed “less than.” This shows us who Jesus valued and who He came to have relationships with. This shows us that He came to be friends with sinners like us.

3 Days from Christmas

Something I was thinking about the other day…

I came across a familiar verse the other day: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Interesting timing considering we’re 3 days from Christmas; the time when most people are dreaming about all the packages under the tree with their names on them. For sure, in these last few days until the 25th parents and grandparents everywhere will be scurrying about checking off lists that have undoubtedly been created months in advance by the little ones they love. Not that we adults can claim otherwise- we also have our own wish lists. Which got me thinking….

What is the real desire of my heart? Sure there’s some things I want or could use (mainly some new tupperware), and I’ve never been one to turn down running apparel, dark chocolate, or coffee. But certainly these are not the desires of my heart. For some the answer to this question may be a new home, a new job, or even living in a different location. There is nothing wrong with these of course, and trust me, I often think these are my true desires as well. But I just don’t think those are the promises of the above mentioned verse. I think the promise is much bigger (and better) than that!

When we delight ourselves in the Lord- when we love Him above all else- we know Him as our supreme gift and source of joy. Consequently, His desires become our desires as well. In case we have any doubt about what God desires for us, we need look no further than Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I don’t know about you, but I’d take any one of those fruits over any gift from a store. Which brings me back to my original self-reflection.

If my answer to the question about the desire of my heart begins to look like the things of this world, then I know I need to ask God to realign my heart and delight myself in His Word, His promises, and in Himself…because even though there are times the world may capture my attention for a moment, what I really desire are the things of God. May this Christmas season find us all delighting in our Heavenly Father who has given us not only His Spirit, but the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ, His Son.