Some of you know that I am currently applying to grad
schools, some of which would move me across the country. Now, while this might have terrified me last
year, I am actually really excited about the idea of going back to school and
having a new adventure in a new place. I
feel like the Lord is revealing more of what I was created for and leading me
on to new things. As with any change,
this will mean leaving some things behind.
Some things will be sad to leave, while others I will be more than happy
to put in my past. The other day I was
talking with a friend about this very thing, mentioning that there are certain
things that I can’t wait to get away from, when he asked a question that struck
me:
“What are you running from?”
Initially, I assured him I was not running away, just moving
on and letting go of my life as I know it right now. But it got me thinking, am I running
away? Which got me thinking, how would I
even know if I’m running away? What’s
the opposite of running away?
This is what I came up with.
I think the opposite of “running away” is “claiming your
freedom”. And I think the defining
factor that makes them different is the presence of fear.
Running away is what you do when you are scared or angry,
which often comes as a package deal.
It’s what you do when you are afraid of the problems and messes you’ve
gotten yourself into—when you don’t think you can stand things as they are
anymore. It’s what you do when you feel
hopeless and out of answers, or when you think you’ve been wronged and you feel
hurt and unloved. It’s what you do when
you realize things aren’t as they should be and you don’t know how to fix
them. You do it when you feel guilty and
beyond repair. We run because it’s
easier than stinking around and dealing with the reality. We run
because we are scared.
Running away doesn’t require us to face our problems and it
doesn’t include any sort of reconciliation or restoration. There is no change, no closure, and no
healing. Running away is about what you
are leaving, not what you are going to. It centers on what was, not what will
be.
Very similar in appearance is the act of claiming your
freedom. While it looks the same on the
outside as running away (leaving one place or job or relationship for something
different), it is entirely different in almost every other way. It’s what you do when you are being called to
something new—when you want to see change happen. It’s what you do when your life is changing
and you have to change with it. We claim
our freedom when we realize we are not what we were created to be and we desire
to become those people. We claim our
freedom when we see that we are still living enslaved to things that we think
still own us. We claim our freedom when we realize we are free.
Claiming your freedom changes the current state of
things. There is closure and finality on
the life we had and anticipation for the life we are moving into. Instead of fear, claiming your freedom is
restful. It moves us to a new adventure,
closer to becoming the people we were created to be. It is fulfilling and life-giving, not
littered with pain and brokenness.
Claiming your freedom brings
healing to the past and changes your heart. Claiming your freedom is about what you are
moving on to, not what you are leaving. It centers on what is and will be, not
what was.
Do you see the contrast?
Do you see that you are free? Do
you live in that freedom, or are you running from something?
God does not have us run from problems, He has us face them
and deal with them. He did not run from
the cross, He finished the job. Moses
ran from Egypt in fear, but God had him go back to free his people, and then
leave again—but this time he left in freedom, not in fear. Jacob returns home to meet Esau, returning to
the land he was meant for. None of these
were the easy way out. All of them involve
struggling through hard situations to get to the point where people could be
free and fulfill the lives they were meant for.
And all of those people had to have a great deal of faith and trust in
the Lord. They had to follow His
leading.
“Now the Lord is the
Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” [2 Corinthians 3:17]
That’s the other part of this, I am realizing that freedom
requires following the Spirit completely.
Without that, we are trying to control things. Without that, we are running scared in our
own self-centered world. But the Lord
leads His people into freedom. He does
not settle for the easy way out, avoiding the harder situations and problems,
but instead leads His people through the dessert—for 40 years—to freedom. He doesn’t say it will be easy and He doesn’t
say it will always be happy, but he leads us to freedom. And I am learning over and over again that
true freedom is infinitely better than any temporary comfort you could attempt grasp
for yourself.
“For the law of the Spirit
of life has set you free in Christ
Jesus from the law of sin and death.” [Romans
8:2]
So I haven’t decided yet if I am running away or taking hold
of my freedom, maybe right now it’s a little bit of both. Either way, God is gracious. He will lead me into the freedom He bought
for me whether I understand the road I am on or not. He is not going to let me run scared while I
refuse to deal with things that need to be dealt with. And He will free me from those things and
lead me on into His goodness and love.
This is the God I serve—a God of freedom and relentless love. I have already been set free, all I have to
do is claim it for myself and leave the fear behind. You are already free, my friends, claim your
freedom.
Fantastic Patty! What a great word, loved all of it!
ReplyDelete