MEGAN JUNG | GUEST

Dead end roads and flat tires. Tired of an age-old habit. Waiting on that person or that thing. Immobilized by fear. Weary of pain. While feeling stuck is a normal and inevitable part of life, it is frustrating, at best. “Stuckness” comes when something holds us down, back, or away from the thing we need or want. Our minds, another person, our bodies, circumstances, sin, the environment, perception, our stories—we live with countless hindrances, harnesses, and hurdles. When we are stuck, we long for freedom. Freedom comes when the harness loosens, the chains fall off, and we cut ties with the weight dragging behind us. We are freed from something and unto another thing. 

What do you think when you consider the word “freedom”? It can be a word fraught with associations and emotions: ache, entitlement, fear, patriotism, gratitude, grief, and more. How can we face our “stuckness” and experience freedom in light of what Christ has done? We start with freedom in Christ, which informs freedom’s function in the rest of life. Freedom in Christ frees us from, frees us to, and frees us unto. 

Freedom in Christ

Freedom in Christ offers specific hope in specific ways. Before we consider personal implications of freedom in Christ, we must first consider the general freedom granted to His children. Paul writes in Romans 8:21,  “…creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Paul highlights God’s continuous occupation: freeing His creation and children from bondage, both literal and metaphorical. Our bondage to sin and death yields insurmountable debt, as though we have over drafted our bank account indefinitely. The Lord not only alleviates our debt, but pours His very self into our debt-ridden account. Through Jesus, He gives us a limitless, boundless inheritance, causing us to overflow with riches. 

Freedom Unto Life

Through Jesus’s work on our behalf, we are set free from bondage to life everlasting. The Lord has cast His freedom wide over His children, promising ultimate freedom one day: freedom from death, tears, sin, and brokenness. Until then, He has given us the status of free. In judicial terms, the Lord judges justly and Jesus advocates for us. We have been given the verdict of innocence. We can now live a life without fear of condemnation. Romans 8:1-2 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” We have been set free from the shame of sin unto life in Christ. This means that our yesterdays, our last years, our today and our tomorrows are covered in the blood of Christ. Our fault and debt no longer condemns us. 

Where do you need to be reminded of that today? Do you hold yourself captive to past mistakes, false names, and fear? Pray you can believe your innocent verdict and that the realities of your freedom will give you deep joy. 

Free as God’s Child

Considering freedom you’ve been granted, what have you been freed unto? We are free in and unto Jesus, however shame continues to prowl and invite us back. If glory is the opposite of shame, we each have specific ways the Lord invites us out of shame and into the glory of being His child. The very places we feel stuck and paralyzed—ashamed of our bodies, families, social skills, jobs, homes, and choices—those places of deep pain and isolation are the very places we can practice living like His children and gain a deeper understanding of His love. This is where real freedom lies, not in more money, more friends, a better job, a better body, or a better report card. Freedom comes in the closeness of His face and His grounding love for us. 

Children learn to live securely by experiencing security with their primary caregiver’s love and provision. Venturing from their safe adult’s lap, they try, risk, stumble, make mistakes, and play, periodically returning for comfort and rest. What if we practice the same rhythms when we feel afraid and stuck? What if we practice believing the Lord is for us? We are free to go out, get curious, try something new, mess up, receive comfort, and go at it again. At the end of the day, rest is found in Jesus. 

Freedom in Christ means we are free to celebrate, to grieve, to be transparent, and to try. It gives us freedom from fear, sin. and condemnation. Freedom in Christ gives us the freedom to advocate, turn the other cheek, to forgive, and wait expectantly. Whatever plagues you, talk to Him and feel your feelings in front of Him. Lay your feelings at His feet and allow truth about who God is to wash over you. There, you will find rest, comfort, and longed-for freedom. What’s the next step? You’re free to try, free to mess up, and free for eternity. 

Photo by Marija Zaric on Unsplash