To All That is Chaotic in You
The spirit of freedom carries growth and breakthrough on its wings- both of which can be uncomfortable experiences.
I’m not sure why we think that freedom comes easily, when in reality it’s a hard-fought battle where lies are uprooted, defense mechanisms dismantled, and old ways of doing things are shucked off. We step away from this battleground, and emerge out of a shell of bondage, with tender new skin in a new environment that requires new ways of living and thinking. This a lot to navigate through, this a lot to feel, this a lot to respond to. And, our only hope in this space is God- our God and all of His grace, strength and compassion.
“All praise goes to God, Father of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. He is the Father of compassion, the God of all comfort. 4 He consoles us as we endure the pain and hardship of life so that we may draw from His comfort and share it with others in their own struggles.” -2 Corinthians 1:3-4 VOICE
The pace and degree of freedom we experience in this process depends greatly on whether we try to do the work ourselves- in our own strength, or if we allow God to be with us, help us, and usher in our freedom for us. God knows our struggles. He knows every authority problem we have. He knows the times our trust has been betrayed and our hearts have been broken. Like a father cupping his rebellious child’s face in his strong hands, He says, “Listen to me…. Hear me… I, even, I am He who comforts you….I am the Lord your God. I am for you, Child! Not against you! When will you cease resisting me?”
When it comes to our freedom, God is fierce and active and is relentless in His pursuit to free us. It is His mission to “repair broken hearts, and to declare to those who are held captive and bound in prison, “Be free from your imprisonment!” (Isaiah 61:1-3)
This is where breakthrough happens.
When you reach the end of yourself and let your walls crumble and fall- this is where the first heartbeat of freedom can be heard.
You are free, and it’s time to let go.
You are free, and it’s time to trust.
“Fear not..let not your hands grow weak. The Lord God is in your midst. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with His love. He is the mighty One Who saves.” – Zephaniah 3:16-17
When your freedom comes knocking, don’t forget Who God is, and don’t be afraid of what your freedom will cost you. Anything it costs is exactly what needs to be lost.
“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.” – Cynthia Occelli
The spirit of freedom carries growth and breakthrough on its wings.
Your undoing is actually your remaking into the fullest expression of the free daughter that God dreamed you up to be. Don’t devalue God’s investment in your freedom by staying small, staying comfortable or becoming a slave to people.
23-24 All of you, slave and free both, were once held hostage in a sinful society. Then a huge sum was paid out for your ransom. So please don’t, out of old habit, slip back into being or doing what everyone else tells you. Friends, stay where you were called to be. God is there. Hold the high ground with him at your side. – 1 Corinthians 7:23-24 MSG
You are free, hold the high ground with Him at your side.
In a moment of my own undoing, my dear friend, Kristin, shared this poem with me. May it be a reminder of God’s voice in your heart as you walk out the path of your freedom.
“To all that is chaotic in you, let there come silence. Let there be a calming of the clamoring, a stilling of the voices that have laid their claim on you, that have made their home in you, that go with you even to the holy places but will not let you rest, will not let you hear your life with wholeness or feel the grace that fashioned you. Let what distracts you cease. Let what divides you cease. Let there come an end to what diminishes and demeans and let depart all that keeps you in its cage. Let there be an opening into the quiet that lies beneath the chaos, where you find the peace you did not think possible and see what shimmers within the storm.”