Do you ever see glimpses of freedom? Moments when heaven seems to touch earth, or insecurities disappear and masks fall away? Or when the weight of the world lightens, and you realize, “Yes, this is how life is meant to be”? Scripture describes these moments as shalom; a state of complete peace, wholeness, wellness, safety, and rest. These moments are full of harmony, where there is no tension or aggravation with anyone.
God desires for us to be complete, and freedom is a huge part of that. If only we felt “kept” in that place of freedom—but the Enemy throws everything our way to counter this. Expectations return in full force. Insecurities bombard with lies: Do more. You’ll never measure up. And we often wonder, Is complete freedom just something to hope for, not to be fully realized until heaven?
Going back to the New Testament, we are assured that we are to live as people who are free (1 Pet. 2:16) because Christ has already set us free (Gal. 5:1) and has given us the Spirit to keep us free (2 Cor. 3:17). Christ not only calls us to a free life, he calls us to operate out of the freedom he has already given us. We have permission to let go of the pressure to perform and rest in God’s unwavering mercy.
It’s incredible, really. The work has already been done through Jesus; there’s nothing we can add to the Cross, and nothing we can take away. Freedom became the most precious gift, because it was the most costly. He beckons us to step into this gift—to walk as people who are free. This means we don’t have to work for freedom. Instead, we can claim the freedom Jesus already lavished on us. Take off your masks; lay down the pressure to keep up. You were meant to be free—to be who you already are.
Rebekah Lyons is the author of You Are Free: Be Who You Already Are (Zondervan) and cofounder of Q Ideas. Learn more at RebekahLyons.com.
