It is the intangible promise that lingers before us, sometimes unspoken but often implied. The life of freedom, a word to which we all, in our human attempts, begin defining. We see freedom from the things that WE want to escape from, perhaps unhealthy relationships, perhaps financial hardships, perhaps the very pull of our own selfish nature. We live inside of a misconception that if we open the door or push the button of Christianity, these things will all resolve themselves and we will achieve the “freedom” that we so desire. And the longer believers live inside of this misconception, the more discouraged they become when life happens.

We are called by Christ to Him, and oh what a wondrous experience that He would even open our eyes to His truth! Here He extends His Hand to us, and waits while we ponder the choice before us – take His Hand or walk away…the most importance choice we will every make in our lives. And when we take His Hand, our dance begins…a dance and a relationship that will ultimately define who we are as a believer. A dance where both play a part, however one clearly leads.

In making that choice to commit our lives to Christ, it is the beginning of a journey that will be tumultuous, unpredictable, adventurous, difficult, beautiful, and profound. Our first glimpse at our life demonstrates that all of the unhealthiness that we brought to this moment is still there, only now our eyes are opened in such a way that we can define things with more clarity, in more truth. Walking back into that life expecting that God will now do all of the work is a deception. We must acknowledge those things in our life and we must invite God into every place, every relationship, every circumstance, every facet of our being, so that He can begin transforming. It is a process that takes daily, even moment by moment, submission to Him. But He is always faithful to move inside of our submission to His Will.

The tumultuous, unpredictable, and difficult aspects of life do not reach a point of ending within our time here on earth. There will be valleys…shadows…pain. These are moments to self reflect on where we are spiritually, how deep are our roots and who is the source of our strength and peace. And then acknowledge these circumstances or relationships and invite God into the valley as well. In our sanctification, believers will find not that these moments disappear but that God becomes greater in the midst of these vulnerable times than the circumstances ever could be…that spiritually we lean on Him rather than our own fears or even strengths. That despite the turmoil all around us, as long as we keep our eyes on Jesus then He keeps us above the waves, still able to draw the deepest of breaths and ultimately breath Him in. And that is a freedom we cannot fathom.