In honor of it being Easter this weekend, let’s take some time to refocus on the basics.
Now, don’t get me wrong- I’m not saying that the story of the resurrection is a simple one. In fact, it’s quite the opposite… The perfect sacrifice. All of creation waiting for this exact day. The sins and darkness of the world placed on the death of one human. A veil torn in two. The stone rolled away. New life in Christ. Everything came together perfectly according to God’s plan, resulting in the resurrection of Jesus and a world that would never be the same. When we invite Christ into our lives, that’s when life begins, that’s where freedom starts, and our lives will never be the same again. These are the basics of the faith we proclaim; Jesus came and gave His life for us so that we might be free - free from sin, free from darkness, free to have a relationship with the Father, and free to live life out of His love. // Our savior displayed on a criminal's cross Darkness rejoiced as though heaven had lost But then Jesus arose with our freedom in hand That's when death was arrested and my life began \\ But often times, when it comes down to actually living this out on a daily basis, we let life get the best of us. Think about where you’re at in life right now. What are you letting own you? Your insecurities or your strengths? Your frustrations or your joys? Your doubts or your identity in Christ? Your fears or your faith? Your circumstances or your God? For me, especially when struggling with an anxiety disorder, life can easily feel out of control. (And yes, I know you don’t have to have a mental illness to experience this, but they can for sure heighten those feelings). I’ve discovered that I put a lot of pressure on myself to “get it together,” out of the fear of messing everything up. So when circumstances start taking over, I find myself drowning in “what ifs” and fears so incredibly deep, that I become unsure of what to do next and how to escape. Recently, I’ve been trying to go back to the basics. Just living life. Just holding tight to my faith and letting go of everything else. Just believing these truths, which always remain constant: God is good. God is love. I am His child. I have Christ’s resurrection power in me. I can be free from fear. It's hard to do, yes, but guess what? I'm learning, and so. can. you. You are more than your thoughts and feelings. In fact, you’re in control of them. Your soul knows who you are, your heart has experienced the truth, so tell that to your brain. Speak out against your demons. Don’t give them power over you. The Holy Spirit is real and alive and powerful and working in you. Don’t let it sit dormant. Open your hands to let Him work. Open your heart to be shaped by His gentle hands. He is always refining us, helping us grow, and walking with us through life. We are always His beloved children, and no circumstances will change that. Freedom is readily available to us. Hope is a constant, shining light to the darkest of circumstances. Remind yourself of this also: you’re exactly where you need to be. So make the most of what’s around you! Stop waiting for more free time, for summer break, for future dreams...instead, dream of today. Take part in the work God is already doing all around you. Let yourself laugh with friends. Open your eyes to how God is working in the here and now. You are growing and blooming. {And remember that you’ve grown so much already this year, and you’re going to keep growing, but don’t get so caught up in understanding the big picture that you can’t enjoy life today.} Take little steps through each day. Keep trusting in the simple gospel. He is risen, He is risen indeed. Now, let me clarify: having “faith that’s bigger than your fear” is actually such a cliche. I thought about using it in this blog post actually, until I realized that I don’t know if I’ve ever truly experienced having faith “big enough” to out-power my fears. Because I’ll be honest, that’s really hard for me. But, what I can do is cling to faith, in spite of my fears. They’re still there, for sure. As a perfectionist, I’ve learned that failure is one of my biggest fears (in relationships, in school, at work, and in my own personal life). It feels so ingrained in my personality that I don’t know if it’ll ever really go away. However, I’m starting to learn to work through that, day by day. What if we, little by little, made the choice to believe even while we are feeling fearful? That is bravery. That is strength. That is true faith. So remind yourselves of truths. Look to Jesus. Hold onto little reminders of His love and grace. Perhaps, you might experience what I’ve experienced. You might find yourself with a little bit more peace, a little more joy, and a whole lot of freedom through Christ. As always, thank you for reading! I hope this spoke to you in some way. I’m praying for each and every one of you today!
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AuthorHi! My name is Rachel Schoeff, and I'm a college student in Cleveland, Ohio. With this blog, I aspire to share a little bit of what God is doing in my life, and use that to inspire others. We're all messy people, and we're never going to be perfect, but I hope that, together, we can all learn to embrace being "perfectly in progress." Archives
August 2019
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