Today, as I sat through a conference called “Wild and Free” by Jess Connolly, many things resonated with me and I knew that God had placed me there for a reason. Quite frankly, I hadn’t really thought about the conference or it’s title until I was like, “Oh, it’s Saturday and the woman’s conference is here.” Then, I read the title, and it caught a hold of me. Do you ever have that moment where you think, that is exactly what I needed to hear and God has me exactly where he wants me down to the people I talked to today. Well, if there was ever a moment like that, it was today.
God really did shift me, as tears streamed down my face and I slowly felt the weight I’ve been feeling slide from my shoulders. Sometimes, we just need to be real with each other like I was able to do today. Like really real. We like to hide behind a smile and act like everything is great, but when we get down to it, we need to be willing to share what we’ve been going through and in doing so we can start to be free. But how hard it is!
Right before I realized the topic of our conference, I got on my face before God and just laid out my heart. Past hurts were resurfacing and I knew I needed to work through them and not around them or just shove them off. One of the greatest things I’ve learned from dealing with depression, is that pushing it away just masks the pain. And so, I wrote each one down and released them to God and I know it’ll be a daily process, but I want to really get down to the root of things and embrace these new steps in life God has for me as so much has been changing. And once I do, I know I’ll be ready to fully embrace what God has for me.
So, I’ve started to let go…
Let go of the need to please others
Let go of the desire for a husband
Let go of unforgiveness towards those that have hurt me
Let go of the need to feel in control
To be accepted
To be successful and productive
We hold so tight onto these things and when we let them go then God can really begin to use us. We think we have to have it all together to be able to serve the Lord and be able to bless others, but if we are waiting to “Be all tidy” as Jess said, we aren’t ever going to be ready to make a difference. She asked three questions. What are you freed from? Where are you freed to? What are you freed for? Embrace the freedom you have from brokenness and share life with others. You don’t have to have it all together! Jesus paid for our sins on the cross. The past, the present, and the future. We are freed from the sins they have held us captive. I’ve found when I’m really being real and sharing my brokenness then others start sharing and they feel such a relief that they aren’t alone in their struggles.
Buy Wild and Free and embrace what it really means to be free when you feel like you don’t measure up.
https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Free-Hope-Filled-Anthem-Enough-ebook/dp/B010R2U5ZU
