Slaves to Sin No More

I used to have a professor who would say, “The only true freedom is the freedom from slavery to sin.” He said it often. I don’t know what else I learned in his classes off the top of my head, but those words are clearly etched in my brain (which I suspect was his point). They are an easy to remember paraphrase of:

Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if a son frees you, then you will truly be free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you, (John 8:31-37).

With this in mind, please, allow me to say that I’ve been having a hard time lately. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed and a little like everything is falling apart. Of course, the perfect time to reflect upon what’s important and whether or not you’re trying to cling to things that are not only unimportant but perhaps even sinful is when things seem to be falling apart.

To aptly assess what’s important I believe we each need to answer one question: Who am I? I know trying to define ourselves in simple terms is often frowned upon and seen as limiting, but paring back the unimportant stuff that’s bringing us down calls for simple and concise terms. So, who am I? Me, personally, I am:

1 – a child of God

2 – a wife

3 – a writer

It is important to note here that the order matters. God first. If I’m not keeping my relationship with God in order and making it a priority, all of my other relationships are going to suffer sooner or later. After all, who else can provide me with the grace to be the best version of myself and to love even in difficult times? Are you praying daily?

Second, my marriage. Marriage is hard work. It takes the commitment and efforts of both parties. Anyone who tells you marriage is 50/50 is sorely mistaken. Marriage is 100/100. Period. If you’ve only been putting in 50%, I encourage you to reflect upon how you can best change that. Be patient, it may not be fixable overnight. Additionally, because God is at the center of your life, God needs to be at the center of your marriage too. If that’s not the case, make time to look for ways that you can change that and then work together to do so. This is a wonderful opportunity for great growth and blessing in your life and marriage. Again, be patient, but committed. Are you praying for your spouse?

Third, my job. Yes, I’m a writer, that’s what I do. There are a million jobs out there and they take a variety of personalities and skill sets, but no matter the job, it’s still just a job. It is an essential part of life, but it also has its place. If your job is turning you away from God and/or fracturing your family/relationships, you need to reassess how you’re embracing it and whether or not it is indeed the right job for you. Are you praying for your supervisors and coworkers?

All of these things are examples of how I am working to aptly assess my priorities and address what’s important versus what may indeed be expendable or even leading me down the wrong path. Of course, we each must assess our lives in the unique context in which we have been given them, but the same basic question is always at the heart of the struggle to be our best: Who am I?

Lastly, this morning I read this nugget of wisdom:

“Don’t stumble upon something that is behind you.” ~ unknown

Wise words. If we have truly repented of our sins and asked forgiveness, they are forgiven! If we continue to hold on to them and build on them by dwelling on them and beating ourselves up over them, we are still slaves to them. Let go. Do what you can to make right what you need to make right, apologize where needed, ask for forgiveness and let go! There is enough struggle and challenge in moving forward and working toward being the best version of you in the here and now without constantly looking over your shoulder and eyeballing past mistakes.

So, if you find you’re struggling, I encourage you to stop and assess who are, make sure you are keeping things in proper order, repent/seek forgiveness where needed and let go. Allow yourself to be free of the burden of sin so that you can move forward, one step and at time, ever striving to be the best version of yourself.

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire." ~St. Catherine of Siena