I am Free!

The waves ripple and the wind caresses my face. Birds call out to one another, to the day; beckoning the rising of the sun. The chair beneath me rocks back and forth, back and forth, and some days there aren't many words or they simply feel repetitive, memorized. But not so with this day. Words spill forth from a deep well inside me and the Presence of One so much more powerful, mighty and awe-inspiring wraps itself around me. I am on holy ground.
'Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.' [Psalm 100:3]
I can get so caught up in the happenings of my little life, my blurp of existence on this planet, that I lose sight. I forget that I was made by a Creator; that I am His. In the business of responsibilities and activities, shopping lists and deadlines, I begin to act as though I am running this show. And, inevitably, things spiral out of control and I'm left feeling a sad combination of failure, weariness, frustration or loneliness. But in the hush of this morning on the front porch, it's revealed to me once again: I am not my own.
'Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.' [1 Corinthians 6:19-20] 

And with this simple reminder comes astonishing freedom. I am His and in Him, I am free. Freed from anxiety, freed from pressure, freed from status-quo and anything else that might try to hold me captive. I do not belong to these task masters, they can only rule over me if I let them. And why would I ever choose fear? Why would I choose the opinions of man over the truth spoken by my Creator? And yet I do, time and time again. Reverting to the 'old self', I allow lies of the enemy to lay claim to my thoughts, my emotions, my life.
'For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.' [1 Peter 1:18-20]
And the familiar worship song echoes through the corridors of my mind: And when before the throne // I stand in Him complete // Jesus died my soul to save // my lips shall still repeat // Jesus paid it all // All to Him I owe // Sin had left a crimson stain // He washed it white as snow //

A ransom has been paid for my very soul. I have been released from any and every chain that would ever hope to bind me. And yet, in the hustle and bustle; in distractedness and striving and giving into feelings of anxiety or jealousy, I willingly put the chains back on myself. I offer myself as a slave to my to-do lists, to my iPhone, to the stress that comes from overfilled days where I didn't make time for what truly matters.
I am not my own but I'm really quite good at acting like I am. I charge full speed into all that 'needs to be done' only to end up shaking my head at the end of the day, wondering why I still don't feel purpose or fulfillment. I strive, I long for more, I seek approval from those around me and it all falls short of the freedom that is already mine in Jesus Christ. He sets me free and there are no strings attached; He simply asks that I wouldn't let myself be burdened again! It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.' Galatians 5:1 
May I learn to cease striving and let Him lead. May I run to Him first and foremost with every detail of the journey; knowing that only a life found in Him will be a life worth living. My debt has been paid, I am made new. But I must choose to walk in this freedom every day, each moment.
And right there in that rocking chair on the front porch, I began to raise my voice and sing, because I am His and I am FREE! O Praise the One who paid my debt // And raised this life up from the dead