Freedom. Are We There Yet?
Freedom is never free. But it’s possible.
Are we there yet?
What Freedom Looks Like
When first saw the image in this blog, I immediately knew it would not only be the primary image used to represent my non-profit, but would be with me the rest of my life.
It encapsulates everything I want in my life and yours.
Peace.
Comfort.
Safety.
Security.
Absolute contentment.
No fear of my surroundings.
Freedom.
And now, after hundreds of years of slavery, oppression, and inequities, people whose skin like mine has been kissed by nature’s sun… people whose blood, sweat, and tears built this nation…. are celebrating the delayed but official emancipation of our ancestors.
This is Juneteenth.
We honor those in our history who bled and died for freedom.
We honor those in our present day still bleeding and dying for freedom.
And we pray for a day when the blood stops flowing and our breath keeps going.
A day where brown skin is longer seen as disposable.
I don’t want to just be free because of a piece of paper, I want to feel free.
I’m so grateful I have a God who makes me feel in the Spirit
peace,
comfort,
safety,
security,
absolute contentment.
No fear of my surroundings.
But he doesn’t limit his capacity for freedom to the spirit.
Jesus wants our very lives to breathe free:
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ~John 10:10b
What captivates me in this verse is the text at the beginning…
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
Anything that seeks to
steal,
kill,
and destroy
the fullness of life Jesus walked the earth and sacrificed himself to give
is thievery.
So, again, are we there yet? No. But it’s coming. When the faith we have in the Father who holds us is revealed by the work of our own hands, all things are possible.
It’s Time to Breath Free
Freedom is not something sitting on Heaven’s shelf waiting for us.
In the hereafter and today, God wants us to live in the fullness of freedom he has bestowed upon us.
Freedom rests in the Father’s hands.
It’s more than a coincidence to me that the first Juneteenth holiday is on Father’s Day. That’s why this image of a baby resting in the arms of a father means so much to me.
Freedom rests in the Father’s hands.
This is how my heart sees GOD ‘n Me.
It looks like love.
When it comes to creating a society where this freedom, this love is ever-present, we have work to do. It’s time to use the consequences of our past to shape a brighter future. It’s time to breathe free.
GOD, I WILL NOT …
God, I will not apologize for my past. I will not apologize for being mishandled,
mistreated, misunderstood, misled, or misguided, for it is crafting me into the
“Most Woman” I can be.
The adversity nestles me like an egg hidden but growing strong enough to break free.
And now, … I … BREAK … FREE.
Free to breathe in the anointing on my life.
Breathe, girl; breathe. BREATHE in FREEDOM.
~From the “Coming Full Circle” chapter in my new book
Let Juneteenth be a day where we count up the cost of the freedoms we have now, and freedoms yet to be. And as you pursue the fullness of life, always remember it is in the Father’s hands that our freedom rests.
Lord,
You gave the ultimate sacrifice so that our lives would be full now and forever. Thank you. Now, give us the strength to pursue the freedom you said is ours. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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In the meantime…
Know that I am praying that you position yourself to live in God’s freedom and fight that others might also breathe free!
