I've been thinking about freedom today.

And how thankful I am that I continue to grow in my own - in so many places where I used to be held captive.

***By they way, I've found that we grow so much faster when we do so with others. Join our Beautiful Gate online community to connect and experience freedom together. The next online Gathering is July 11. Find out more here***

I spent much of my adult life trying to build and project an image of success and confidence - to be seen as totally 'together' and hide anything that didn't fit that. I was convinced I was just one mistake or vulnerability away from rejection and abandonment. It was exhausting and lonely and I felt so hopeless anything could ever change.

The first time Jesus showed me that I never had to worry about being rejected and alone again was an absolute mountaintop experience. One where you know that you know that you know: His opinion trumps everyone else's and He's head over heels about me JUST AS I AM. That moment changed everything. I still don't fully feel it or live in that on the daily - but I'm on the journey and He's stil working.

Jesus IS the Truth. The more we know Him - not just know about Him but build an intimate relationship with Him - the more we can begin to actually feel free.

Because Jesus doesn’t just give us information. He gives us Himself. And as we come to know Him, the truth starts moving from “I believe this” to “I can actually live from this.”

Some freedoms we're invited into that I want to celebrate this holiday weekend:

* We are set free from trying to measure up

Free from constantly wondering, Am I enough? Am I doing enough? Is God disappointed in me?

In Christ, we are not loved because we finally got it right. We are loved because we belong to Him.

* We are set free from earning God’s affection

Free from treating our spiritual life like a performance review.

Prayer, Scripture, worship, service — these become places of connection, not places where we prove our worth.

* We are set free from shame

Free from believing, There is something fundamentally wrong with me.

The Truth tells us: sin is real, wounds are real, patterns are real — but none of those get the final word over who we are.

* We are set free from needing everyone’s approval

Free from constantly scanning the room and asking, Are they okay with me? Did I say that right? Do they like me?

The more secure we become in His love, the less controlled we are by other people’s opinions.

* We are set free from comparison

Free from measuring our calling, personality, body, family, gifts, pace, or story against someone else’s.

Truth reminds us: we are not behind because we are not living someone else’s assignment.

* We are set free from false responsibility

Free from believing we have to fix everyone, carry everyone, manage everyone’s emotions, or prevent everyone’s disappointment.

Love does not require us to become someone else’s savior.

* We are set free from self-protection as a way of life

Free from hiding, pretending, over-explaining, performing, withdrawing, controlling, pleasing, or staying small to feel safe.

Jesus becomes our safe place, which means we can slowly risk being seen.

* We are set free from fear of failure

Free from believing failure means we are disqualified.

In Christ, failure can become formation. A mistake can become a teacher instead of a verdict.

* We are set free from living disconnected from our own hearts

Free from ignoring what we feel, need, want, long for, or carry.

Truth does not make us less human. It makes us more whole.

* We are set free from striving

Free from always pushing, proving, producing, achieving, and bracing.

There is a kind of fruitfulness that grows from abiding, not hustling.

* We are set free from believing our past defines us

Free from being trapped by old wounds, old names, old roles, old adaptations, or old agreements.

Our story matters deeply, but it is not our identity.

* We are set free from the tyranny of “should”

Free from living by constant internal pressure: I should be better. I should be farther along. I should be stronger. I should be over this by now.

Grace gives us room to grow without contempt.

* We are set free from anxiety about the future

Because we come to know the One who is with us in what we cannot control.

Truth does not always give us certainty. It gives us presence.

AND ESPECIALLY...

* We are set free from needing to feel free before we live free

In other words, the fact that you may not totally feel these yet - and you still find yourself worrying, hiding, performing, etc., - doesn't mean they aren't true and you're not growing in knowledge of them.

Sometimes we know the Truth before we feel the truth. But as we keep coming to Jesus, practicing trust, receiving love, and choosing small brave steps, the Truth begins to become more real in our bodies, our choices, our relationships, and our daily lives.

Freedom in Christ is not just being forgiven for what we’ve done.

It is being released from every false thing we’ve believed we had to be in order to be loved.

I'd love to practice living the Truth with you in our Beautiful Gate Community. Apply to join today!

Either way, know that I'm

Celebrating YOU - along with our Freedom!

Maggie.