“Amazing grace, my chains are gone, I've been set free”
The song “Amazing Grace” is such a classic and powerful hymn. This newer version to this classic hymn starts with the song “Amazing Grace” and then goes on to sing of “my chains are gone, I've been set free.”
The other morning when I was spending some quiet time with God, He brought this song to mind. As I was thinking more about this song, God began to show me the the important connection between grace and freedom.
Grace and Freedom.
This past year I had some struggles resurface in my life that I had not dealt with in years. It was hard and humbling to be in a place of brokenness. Instead of being the one strong for others, I needed the prayers and support of the community God placed in my life. God knew my heart was for Him, yet He also knew and saw the frustration I experienced as I worked through these struggles and strongholds.
Yet, as I look back upon this year I believe there were several purposes for why God allowed these struggles to resurface in my life. One was to bring deeper refinement in my heart and my life. Beautiful truths that God has spoken over me of my identity in Him were taken to a much deeper level in my heart and in my life. I am His beloved. I am lavished in grace. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am of great worth. I am His masterpiece. I am free. I walk in the authority and confidence of Christ Jesus. Truths that God had spoken into my heart and life in the past but truths that needed to go to a deeper level in my heart so I could start to fully embrace them and walk in them.
Another purpose was to allow me to experience more of His grace. For when my life is going well and when I feel like I am living a good Christian life for God, I don't realize my need for grace. Of course this is not an accurate way of thinking as each and every day I am in need of God's grace. Yet, I confess that I start to operate out of thinking I have God's approval because of how I am living. To be in a place of struggle once again, allowed me to experience more and more of His grace. While these were some old familiar struggles from my past, I realized however there was a profound difference now in my life. The difference was when I struggled and felt like I had fallen once again, my response was radically different from the past. In the past, I dwelt in guilt and condemnation and withdrew from God. Now, praise God, I was able to experience grace. Grace that drew me back to Jesus. Grace that allowed me embrace the truth that my actions did not dictate my identity. My identity was a Beloved Child of God. While my actions at that moment did not reflect my identity- I was able to ask God for forgiveness and simply move on and walk once again in my identity in Him. His beloved daughter who was forgiven and lavished in love and grace. God allowed me to experience and appreciate the beauty of grace. That in my best moments and in my worst moments, God loves and delights in me simply because I am His beloved daughter. When I feel like I have everything together or when I am struggling and see my brokenness, His love for me does not change. I am completely accepted by God and covered with His grace simply because I belong to Him. Nothing can or ever will change this love and acceptance.
Grace and Freedom.
The last reason I believe God allowed some of these old struggles to resurface in my life was to bring greater freedom. In the midst of it all I could not see this. Yet now as I look back, I am grateful and amazed at how God has brought greater freedom in very real and practical ways in my life. I can see this through behaviors that have been changed but most importantly through truths that were written on my heart. God brought refinement into my life and a result of that was more freedom. I love how God is not satisfied with leaving us where we are. He wants us to experience more. More of Him, more of His love and grace, more of His freedom, more of His holy Presence.
Grace and Freedom.
God is beginning to show me how these two truths are so powerfully connected in my life. My tendency in the past and even now is to be critical of myself. I can see this in small ways as I go throughout my day. Yet, God has been showing me recently the impact of this. If I am being critical of myself I then make choices that lead to bondage. It's a little bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Yet, if I instead choose to have the mindset and attitude of grace, how drastically different my actions will be. When I first experience God's grace, I then give this grace to myself. When I give myself grace, I then make choices that lead to freedom.
Grace and Freedom. More grace leads to greater freedom.
And that is the beauty of this Christmas season. Christ came into this earth so that each of us could know Him. Christ who was full of grace and truth. Christ who came to bring freedom to this broken world. Christ who showed grace, spoke truth, and brought freedom into hurting lives.
I believe that Christ longs for each of us to experience more and more of His grace and His freedom. As we celebrate, experience, and embrace more of His amazing grace may we then walk in greater freedom as His beloved children.
Merry Christmas!
