Free From Bondage

For the past few years, at the beginning of the year, I pick a specific “word” that I will give attention to or meditate on for the entire year. So, this year my word was “Health”. I really wanted to focus on my own journey with what I think my health means to me. After a few months of analyzing, I came to realize that I have wasted so many years trying to lose weight or stressing about how I would lose that same 20, 30 or 40 pounds-AGAIN.  Being on a diet in itself, is not a bad thing but saturating my mind and obsessing over looking a certain way is.

I have always been willing to try the next fad, cutting carbs, cutting sugar, cut fat, weight watchers, all those things. But what has always rang true for me is that they work temporarily. They satisfy for a moment, but they don’t sustain. In order to be sustained, I have to give up every area of my life to God, because He loves me-He created me! My focus must shift away from social media, diet fads and infomercials which are a never-ending source of information that feed my mind with half-truths and lies. I came to realize also that if “weight” has really been my only “HEALTH” issue then how VERY fortunate am I.  Many struggle with far worse than that. So, for that, I am forever grateful!

As women in today’s culture, we often feel less than, we feel like we will never measure up. That’s the world speaking doubt and fear. I serve a God that says, “Do Not Fear for I am with you”. I serve God that says “I created you in my image”-Do we believe the world, or do we hold fast to the promises of God?

Simply put I was not trusting God in those moments of doubt and self-examination. When Jesus says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”-He means it! The “all things” is my self-worth and my desire to stop my dependence on food. When my mind becomes so filled with the Word of God that it consumes my every thought, then I can let go of the things that bind me.

I don’t want to carry that burden of not being good enough. I have resigned to get off the roller coaster and walk in freedom, the life God has planned for me. I think I am smart enough to know how to feed my body. I know when I have overindulged-that’s called sin. But guess what? With Gods help next time I will do better-that’s called Grace.

Freedom in any area of life comes from discovering the TRUTH about it. And discovering the truth in a particular area always results in freedom of some kind. Freedom does not come through having our way or doing as we please. That isn’t freedom-that is bondage. I don’t want to be robbed of the joy that comes from God’s grace. I don’t want to be robbed of daily blessings because I’m consumed by overanalyzing every thought and action trying to decide if I made the right one to the point of developing anxiety about it.

Do you constantly battle with fear, lust, jealousy, overindulging, hatred, bitterness, conceit, deceitfulness, a lack of faith, or discouragement? Are there habits you have little control over? You don’t have to find yourself imprisoned to be in bondage, sin has a way of entrapping each of us.