Freedom From Within
Today during mass, the preacher gave a great sermon about learning to be free from the inside of your soul. It struck such an emotion with me that I am going to share it here. Not because I want to preach biblical philosophies, but because it just might spark a fire in someone else's soul and cause them to reflect on their lives as well.
From the note sheet:
I heard the pastor ask us to keep one question in mind as he shared the 7 freedoms with us.
Here is the bulleted list:
Freedom from sin...well who hasn't sinned right? So of course this part also hit home too, but not as much as the others.
Freedom from self. This was perhaps the next most powerful part for me. He spoke about us being very selfish as human beings and the percentages that he shared about marriages and divorces and abandoned children all stem from people being selfish. For what ever reason, I got just a smidgen hot under my collar here. I certainly felt a little bit put under the microscope, but I think it's good for us every once in a while. Being under a lens made me self reflect and ask myself how have I been selfish lately. While I am a very giving person by nature, there were a few places that I feel I need to improve. I would like to focus more on giving my time to people. Giving time and conversation to people I may not know yet. I have been shy for as long as I can remember and within the last two weeks I opened up for whatever reason to a complete stranger and it has resulted in a wonderful new friendship. I think if I do this more often (even if not in pursuit of relationship) my life will be even richer than it is currently. What a gift of insight this part of the sermon provided! Be more outgoing, and more giving too!
Freedom from fear...yeah. Ok...single mother, living more than 6 hours from home, etc, etc. Yes I can be fear filled at times. I hear something bump, or I hear noises that I can't identify right away and I fear them. Even if for a minute or two, it is fear nonetheless. I am a lot less fearful than I used to be, as my life has been calm and full of great things. God is doing wonderful work inside my heart, and it's a good feeling to find the serenity to just live and accept the fact that "What will be, will be." Now if I could just stop fearing spiders...hmm!?!?
Freedom from bondage...oh to be enslaved to something earthly. The pastor shared percentages of men addicted to pornography, as well as the percentage of women. I think the number were like 68% of men and 36% of women. The bondage to porn, drugs, alcohol, or whatever else can be mind numbing and addictive. I am very humbled that God has instilled the gift of resistance to any of those types of bondage in me, but I have felt bound by other things such as my intense desire to please everyone around me. I tend to "follow all the rules" and I really must admit that as he spoke, even though I heard everything he said...I also heard myself saying "rules" in place of the other things he mentioned. Don't get me wrong, rules are good...I mean I am a teacher, mother, whatever...so we teach rules. But I think I also need to focus on what the pastor said in the beginning of the service. He said "The question is not "Is Jesus alive?" It is instead "Are you alive?" It is one thing to believe, it is another thing to be alive and to be free." I have not been free, I haven't been in a very long time. This is yet another area I have room to improve, and I want so badly to 'let my hair down' and be more carefree and spontaneous! I mean it really does look like SO much fun! ;)
Freedom from rejection. This one was the most painful for me to listen to because it is after all the most heart breaking. To feel as though you do not meet the standards of someone else implies that something is wrong with you. But, quite the contrary. It has taken two serious heartbreaks for me to really see that...it's ok if someone rejects me. I am me and I can not change that. If the puzzle piece that I am doesn't fit into someone else's puzzle piece, then I just need to keep trying to find the one that does fit! It will be ok. Someone, somewhere will be the right fit for me, and my heart is content knowing that God's hand is upon my shoulder leading me through this darkness and fog...till I may someday connect. It may take years, it might only take months, but eventually the man God made for me will appear and the fear of rejection won't be part of the equation. For three years, I became very withdrawn and quiet. This time of loss and grieving is gone. I am rejoicing in the new road before me. Fear cast aside, and with my head held high...I will face possible rejection with an air of gratitude for having been shown the pain in the past so as to allow it to teach me that it just wasn't the right one for me.
Finally, the freedom from death. Of course no one wants to die...especially not at a young age. I want to see things like my children graduating, going to college, getting married, I want to cuddle with my grand kids someday, and spend a great deal of time holding the hand of the man I love on the porch in a swing at sunup and sundown till the good Lord decides he needs me to come home. BUT, an important thing to remember that was said today, was that you can't be so scared of dying that you don't allow yourself to live. And yes, you guessed it...I have done that all too often. I believe that I need to worry less, love more, and begin to live again. He spoke about if you are on a plane that is going down, that there really isn't anything to fear, for you are on your way to an everlasting life. I see it now, and I do feel a sense of calm knowing that my life is in his hands. He loves me, he believes in the power of my dreams, and I believe that he will let me live out my dreams with my children and my grandchildren of the future. God is good!
"Too many people do not live because they are too afraid to die."
This is me...living! Carpe Diem!
Love & Peace
Andrea
From the note sheet:
Today we celebrate with millions around the world the singular event that has changed world history: Jesus Christ, the Son of God has been raised from the dead. One question remains: Has your history been changed? Do you enjoy a life marked by freedom through the "same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead?"
I heard the pastor ask us to keep one question in mind as he shared the 7 freedoms with us.
"Does this describe your life? Do these freedoms describe your life?"
- Freedom for guilt
- Freedom from sin
- Freedom from self
- Freedom from fear
- Freedom from bondage
- Freedom from rejection
- Freedom from death
Freedom from self. This was perhaps the next most powerful part for me. He spoke about us being very selfish as human beings and the percentages that he shared about marriages and divorces and abandoned children all stem from people being selfish. For what ever reason, I got just a smidgen hot under my collar here. I certainly felt a little bit put under the microscope, but I think it's good for us every once in a while. Being under a lens made me self reflect and ask myself how have I been selfish lately. While I am a very giving person by nature, there were a few places that I feel I need to improve. I would like to focus more on giving my time to people. Giving time and conversation to people I may not know yet. I have been shy for as long as I can remember and within the last two weeks I opened up for whatever reason to a complete stranger and it has resulted in a wonderful new friendship. I think if I do this more often (even if not in pursuit of relationship) my life will be even richer than it is currently. What a gift of insight this part of the sermon provided! Be more outgoing, and more giving too!
Freedom from fear...yeah. Ok...single mother, living more than 6 hours from home, etc, etc. Yes I can be fear filled at times. I hear something bump, or I hear noises that I can't identify right away and I fear them. Even if for a minute or two, it is fear nonetheless. I am a lot less fearful than I used to be, as my life has been calm and full of great things. God is doing wonderful work inside my heart, and it's a good feeling to find the serenity to just live and accept the fact that "What will be, will be." Now if I could just stop fearing spiders...hmm!?!?
Freedom from bondage...oh to be enslaved to something earthly. The pastor shared percentages of men addicted to pornography, as well as the percentage of women. I think the number were like 68% of men and 36% of women. The bondage to porn, drugs, alcohol, or whatever else can be mind numbing and addictive. I am very humbled that God has instilled the gift of resistance to any of those types of bondage in me, but I have felt bound by other things such as my intense desire to please everyone around me. I tend to "follow all the rules" and I really must admit that as he spoke, even though I heard everything he said...I also heard myself saying "rules" in place of the other things he mentioned. Don't get me wrong, rules are good...I mean I am a teacher, mother, whatever...so we teach rules. But I think I also need to focus on what the pastor said in the beginning of the service. He said "The question is not "Is Jesus alive?" It is instead "Are you alive?" It is one thing to believe, it is another thing to be alive and to be free." I have not been free, I haven't been in a very long time. This is yet another area I have room to improve, and I want so badly to 'let my hair down' and be more carefree and spontaneous! I mean it really does look like SO much fun! ;) 
Freedom from rejection. This one was the most painful for me to listen to because it is after all the most heart breaking. To feel as though you do not meet the standards of someone else implies that something is wrong with you. But, quite the contrary. It has taken two serious heartbreaks for me to really see that...it's ok if someone rejects me. I am me and I can not change that. If the puzzle piece that I am doesn't fit into someone else's puzzle piece, then I just need to keep trying to find the one that does fit! It will be ok. Someone, somewhere will be the right fit for me, and my heart is content knowing that God's hand is upon my shoulder leading me through this darkness and fog...till I may someday connect. It may take years, it might only take months, but eventually the man God made for me will appear and the fear of rejection won't be part of the equation. For three years, I became very withdrawn and quiet. This time of loss and grieving is gone. I am rejoicing in the new road before me. Fear cast aside, and with my head held high...I will face possible rejection with an air of gratitude for having been shown the pain in the past so as to allow it to teach me that it just wasn't the right one for me. Finally, the freedom from death. Of course no one wants to die...especially not at a young age. I want to see things like my children graduating, going to college, getting married, I want to cuddle with my grand kids someday, and spend a great deal of time holding the hand of the man I love on the porch in a swing at sunup and sundown till the good Lord decides he needs me to come home. BUT, an important thing to remember that was said today, was that you can't be so scared of dying that you don't allow yourself to live. And yes, you guessed it...I have done that all too often. I believe that I need to worry less, love more, and begin to live again. He spoke about if you are on a plane that is going down, that there really isn't anything to fear, for you are on your way to an everlasting life. I see it now, and I do feel a sense of calm knowing that my life is in his hands. He loves me, he believes in the power of my dreams, and I believe that he will let me live out my dreams with my children and my grandchildren of the future. God is good!
"Too many people do not live because they are too afraid to die."
This is me...living! Carpe Diem!
Love & Peace
Andrea
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