Continuing to Learn what Freedom Really Means

It seems that freedom has been a recurring theme in some old poetry I've been coming across recently.

A few weeks ago, I was going through some boxes I had picked up from my parents' house. I had stored them there for a while, but they needed the space now, so I was bringing them to my house to keep them here.

In one of those boxes, I cam across a folder of poetry I had written when I was in high school and my first couple years of college. Who knew that at the time I dreaded every English class I had to take - and poetry the most of all - I was writing my own.

Some of that poetry will never be seen by anyone and a little bit of it may be shared with others. This poem is one I will share.

As I read this poem, I was struck by what I wrote about. Thinking back to the time in my life when I wrote this, I had only just begun to understand what freedom in Jesus Christ really is. I'm sure I still don't understand it completely, but it's something I'm learning more and more about each day.

Breaking down the walls

Busting out of the box

I’m tired of the walls

I’m tired of the box

I want to be free

Opening my eyes to the sunlight

Seeing Your amazing creation

Feeling the sweet cool breeze

Dancing and leaping in the field

I am freed from all that bound me

You broke for the walls

You tore up the box

You freed me to see Your creation

You released me to live

I am free through Jesus Christ

Journey to Freedom

I stumbled across this poem I wrote a couple years ago. I was reminded of the truth of it. I've shared it here before, but felt that this was the time to share it again.

Satan's lies long believed
Child of God stuck in captivity
Lies that go so deep
They seem to be a part of me

Tired of the lies
My heart desires freedom
Seeking freedom to be found
In God`s Truth alone

Tearing down the lies
Felling walls with God's truth
Only in the Word of God
Can true freedom be found

Wishing this could just be done
But knowing it take times
Freedom is a work in progress
Seeking God and seeking truth

My Least Favourite Day on the Calendar

February 14 . . .

I was reminded of how quickly that date on the calendar is approaching when I walked into a store and was overwhelmed with a display of pink and red, or hearts and kissy lips.

A couple of years ago, I wrote a post called "Yes, I'm Single." It was probably one of the most honest posts I had ever written. It might still be. It was also one of the scariest posts I've eve hit publish on, because I was putting it all out there.

I went back and reread that post recently, with all the reminders that Valentine's Day was approaching again.

Two years ago . . .

I'm a few months from my 32nd birthday - a birthday that doesn't seem to be the same milestone as turning 30 was. Some things have changed in my life since then, many other things haven't.

As I reread my statement at the beginning of that post - my declaration, if you will - I realized that those words could be applied to many mare situations in life. Replace the word singleness with something else going on in your life. It speaks to our need for belonging - our need to know we have people who care about us and we care about in return.

My _________________ is not a problem to be fixed.And it doesn't make me strange or weird.Just like you, I want to belong. I want to be included.I want to be missed when I'm not there. And I want to know you well enough to miss you when you're not there.

The cry of our hearts is for a place to belong. We spend our lives searching for that. We want a place where we feel like we fit in. The crazy things so many of us do to try to fit in with a certain group is evidence of our desire for a place to belong.

We were created with a need to belong. We were created for community with one another. That was God's plan from the beginning.

At Bible college we had another name for February 14 - at least those of us who were single did. We often referred to it - somewhat jokingly and somewhat seriously - as "Single's Awareness Day," instead of Valentine's Day. The day we were reminded regularly as we saw all the couples walking around campus together, that we were still single. The day the cafeteria would be strikingly empty at supper compared to most evenings.

As I reflect on it more, I think this desire for a place to belong is why Valentine's Day is a day I often wish wasn't on the calendar. Not because I don't have a place to belong. I've been blessed with incredible friends and an amazing family. But, because on that one day on the calendar it can still feel a bit lonely. A day where it seems more obvious who is a couple and who is not.

This post has no neat conclusion. I'm still figuring out what this all means for my life. As February 14 approaches, I do realize I have two choices for that day. I can focus on what I don't have and get depressed. Or I can focus on what I do have and be thankful for what God has given me.