How do you define Freedom?

I had a dear friend share a Tik Tok with me and these verses have continued to pop back up in my head again and again in the past few days. Recently, I have had conversations about freedom and how do I or anyone else define freedom? Do we run to freedom or do we run away from existence constantly seeking freedom only to never find it? These verses reminded me of where I find my freedom. The freedom of not having to look back, of being defined by all that has passed but knowing that I am defined by what God has called me to become. Constantly moving forward knowing and trusting in what God has planned for me. The emptiness, the lack of freedom becomes filled. Letting go of what is behind me releases me from any constriction I may feel, or any limits I may have in becoming what God has planned for me. “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14, NIV).

I shared with a dear friend as we talked about significant changes in both of our lives that what I imagined before me has now become a blank slate. He shared the same sentiment. We both had visions and a future mapped out in our minds and circumstances have drastically changed that for both of us. The future no longer has an image, but a blank piece of paper. It is unknown. Truth is, it has always been unknown. Any image we had in our minds was based on the past and what we anticipate the future would hold based on that foundation-but none of it is certain and none of it was any more real than a blank image. The blank image is neither good or bad, it is simply a canvas that God will fill as we move forward into what He calls us to become. The images I had in the past were limited by my mind, now, there is no limit on what may lie ahead. That is freedom.

Someone else said that freedom does not mean no responsibility. It does not mean being harmful, selfish, or cruel without repercussions. It does not mean losing our humanity and having no regard for all that surrounds us. There is still responsibility with freedom. God expects that from us. God wants us to continuously “press on toward the goal” and in doing so come closer to Christ.

Today, I pray that you find your freedom and seek to press on toward the goal and come closer to Christ. Do not fear the blank page before you but recognize it for the limitless possibilities of what tomorrow may bring.

I pray these words spoke to you, please share with a friend. Don’t miss a blog post, subscribe to my web page.