Walk Into Freedom by Brooke
(This was supposed to be short 
but hey, this is me) Copy Right Brooke Thompson 2018
Walk Into Freedom
Independence Day. The fourth of July rolls around again in America. For many, a day off of work and out to their backyards is in the works. For some, painful memories return as they recall the loss of one very dear. Others still, remember the sacrifice they made and dreams they laid aside to defend the land of hope and opportunity. A few far from home, are flooded with the pain of loneliness and weariness. Anyone who has entered the gates of the land of the free has received a level of freedom unique to this world. Privilege blinds the heart of many to the honor due to the brave and few who has made selfless sacrifices. Privilege restricts many from giving gratitude for the shelter that is America. While any citizen of this nation can declare with certainty that they have rights, many still feel bound. Fear, uncertainty, inferiority, and more plague the minds and hearts of many who call America home. Privilege and pride harden the hearts of many of the free to those who have yet to be launched into feeling completely unbound. Sensitivity and empathy are stepping stones to aiding a heart to soar from feeling stuck. Loneliness, hopelessness, fear, anger, regret, inferiority, numbness – what has left you feeling bound? We as humans, all relate to feeling chained. We see those soaring high and wish, oh if only I could be up there. We doubt if life will ever get better. When will this pain pass from me? When will my chance to adventure and succeed come? Why am I never noticed?
Friend, if you are seeking to find validation in the praise of people, you will be terribly disappointed. People are selfish, and they so often do not stay silent enough to hear cries for aid and recognition. Do you remember that person who seemed to care at one time? What did I do to deserve this treatment? Why have they left and ignored me? They claimed to love me and care about me.
People will always disappoint you. You must find your identity and contentment in some other way. But what? Money is mere paper, and a fight must be had to win it. Success is so subjective to culture and opinion. Friendships, relationships, family – these things seem to be filled with substance and meaning, and oh they are. Do not doubt the power of communication and relationship. But life is fleeting. That one you cling onto so tightly might be gone tomorrow. The one you have chosen over and over may walk away; or worse, their life can be stolen by the hands of death.
Is there any reason for living? Why even continue? The high always comes back down hard; the hangover does not always make the taste worth it. Should I just throw in my towel and cry uncle?
Friend I have sat where you are. I have gone down this path of thinking. I have questioned life and doubted a reason for mine at all. I have felt bound. I was a prisoner to many things. My fear, my insecurity, my desire to please people, my craving for love have all led me to the point of absolute darkness. I was held captive. I lived in the home of the free, but I saw no way to obtain freedom for my everyday life.
When all I saw was darkness, something glimmered. A spark, a little flame of hope rose in me. I left my home, my comfort zone, representing all that I could offer to the world. I traveled to a new place. I intended to leave my home to offer hope to people in need, but that never filled the void in me. All of these emotions, all of this despair, led me to a moment. I had to make a decision.
Throughout my childhood, I heard there was someone who could offer me hope. Under the church steeple, I walked, and I grew. Religion could do nothing but other fake validity. But at my moment of complete emptiness, I made a decision. I choose you. The truth is that I was already chosen. I deserve absolute terrible punishment because I am a bad person. I do not deserve love or success or joy. But someone who loved me, saw good in me. His name is Jesus. Walking into a church only brought condemnation because I can never live up to high standards. No friend, I walked into freedom. Freedom in flesh is called Jesus Christ. I shook hands with freedom and walked into the arms of redemption. That bruised and bloody body hugged me and saved me from the very death I deserved. I walked into freedom and found a friend.
Yes, I call Jesus friend. An omnipotent and omniscient God is capable of revealing himself in many ways to the ones he loves. All of my questions and the emotions that used to strangle me are silenced when I live in awareness of his presence. He is the bright and morning star; capable of dispelling any darkness. He is the prince of peace who relieves all doubts and worries. He is love who casts out fear and offers something more. He is redemption- casting away my past and pointing to a new future with him. He desires my affection and surrender. Not selfish, not a dictator – Jesus invites me to walk with him. I cannot earn more of his love. I cannot prove my worthiness. I am dressed in filthy rags. He is the tailor who cleans me and dresses me in his grace and glory. I am hidden from the wrath of a holy being by the one who made the ultimate and eternal sacrifice. His words, It is finished ring for anyone for all of time. You cannot shake yourself free. I tried and always suffered more.
So, I urge you to walk into freedom. Walk into the arms of freedom today. Experience relief from these burdens you have struggled to lift. Jesus is the one who can offer more; it will be more than you can ever imagine for yourself. He will always be waiting, and his love remains throughout the hands of time and the grime of life. Life is hard, but it is bearable when your darkness is sparked by the light of the world. Stop feeling around in the dark and let light in. Let love in once again. Jesus takes questions and quiets them with his gentle and enduring love. If you have already reached your rock bottom and feel shattered, this is your escape. Jesus invites you to walk into freedom with him – just as he let me along for the journey. If you already know this wonderful love, I urge you to remember that it is finished. The price for you and whatever battle you might face was paid by the cross of Calvary.
