freebie friday....{freedom}

i've been doing some thinking lately.
thinking about who i am, how i  perceive myself and who God intends me to be.
have you ever felt weighted down by all that you feel you aren't?
that's been happening to me these past few days. most days, if i'm being honest.
its like carrying around a heavy chain.
and each time i don't measure up to who i think i should be, it feels like i'm adding yet another chain.

sometimes, the heaviest burden we can carry is the burden we don't even recognize.
it can change our attitude. it can alter how we interact with others. it can take away our hope.
and we don't even know it's there.

chains.....  bondage..........
difficult to grow, difficult to bless and difficult to receive blessings all locked up like that.

who do you say you are?
first and foremost, i say i am a child of God.
and if i ascribe to that first truth - i am a child of God - then i must ascribe to these next truths....
i am fearfully and wonderfully made.
i am made in His image.
His love is unconditional and merciful.
it is His intention to bless me.

we want to do better.
it's good to want to be a better mother, wife, business woman, sister.........fill in your blank.
but i know what happens next.
in our efforts to improve, the slightest set back or failure turns into self-incrimination.
we don't notice the progressive slide - from striving to do better to piling on negativity.
we have to give ourselves grace.
use our mistakes and failures as tools - not to berate ourselves with but to learn from.
our negative feelings about ourselves become chains.
weighing us down. dragging us down.
is that what God wants for us?
no way.

God wants us to be free.
and in Him, we are free.
free to be loved, free to make mistakes, free to grow..........
rest in Him. dwell in Him.
give those chains over to Him.
He will bear our burdens.

i've created this 8x10" printable as a reminder. we are free in Christ.
just click on the picture to download the printable .pdf file.

happy weekend!