Imagine chains shattering, not just 2000 years ago, but today. That’s the Jesus who still steps into our world. He didn’t just talk about freedom, he released it. Captives set free, prisoners no longer bound, the sick cured, the blind seeing, the mute speaking, the deaf hearing, and the brokenhearted finding healing. The Lord is inviting us into a process of freedom.
He came so that we might be free. Freedom brings a cascade of gifts: forgiveness, instead of enslavement; light, instead of darkness; hope, instead of despair; peace, instead of chaos; joy, instead of sadness; love, instead of hatred; and salvation, instead of separation.
We have access to this freedom. Jesus wants desperately to give it to us. He laid down his life for us so we could live in freedom. He came to free us from fear, addiction, depression, and any bondage that keeps us from living life to the fullest. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Is there somewhere the Lord wants to bring you more abundant life?
The more I ponder Holy Week, the more I realize I don’t fully understand the depth of love and sacrifice Jesus undertook for our freedom. Truthfully, I must confess that I prefer this week to go by quickly so we can get to Easter. But, Holy Week is a process that leads us through the Lord’s sacrifice and crucifixion to arrive at the Resurrection. There is no Easter without the week leading to it. In other words, we might miss the powerful and profound gift of salvation and freedom if we rush the process.
Jesus could have chosen for Holy Week not to be a process. Instead, He decided to show us what it can bring. It is in the process that we learn to walk alongside Jesus on our Calvary hills, through our pain and suffering, through our surrender and sacrifice. The process teaches us to grow and heal so we can celebrate our resurrections. In other words, it is in the process we find freedom.
Freedom requires a process of transformation. Nature is full of transformations. Caterpillars turn into butterflies, tadpoles turn into frogs, and seedlings can become 100-foot trees. Without the process, we may not become who we are intended to be. And finally, in the process, we find a deepening friendship with Jesus. That is to say, without the process, we might forget our need for the Lord.
Where in your life might God be inviting you into a process that leads to greater freedom?
4 Responses
Thank you, Les. Insightful. Why don’t I – or rather – why is it so hard to equate my trials as a walk with Jesus? A way out is the first thought! 😊😘🙏
Right there with you! That tends to be my go to as well, how can I escape this. And oftentimes we are being asked to walk through it.
My impatience wants to do away with God’s process. I need to pause, take a breath and realize the journey, in God’s timing is as valuable as the end result.
Beautifully stated, Karen!