You are as free as you allow yourself to be.
With all of the political jargon, surrounding freedom, flooding my newsfeed I figured it’d be a nice muse for my installment.
I was having a conversation with my Dad recently about some of my fears surrounding all of these mandates and the obvious censorship that has been floating around.
I’m not looking to get too politically focused during this blog, but I obviously have to tread into the water a bit.
The current climate of the world around all of us is scary. When I think about the future we are paving for our youth (specifically my kids) I am terrified.
What if the enemies we just handed over all of our weaponry to come and attack?
I’m not ready to get vaccinated, what will my vaccinated friends/family members think?
What if our government continues down this trail of censorship based on specific ideologies that may not match up with hard truths?
How do I instill the values and principles I was raised on in a world that mocks the moral compass that shaped me?
I could go on and on.
You see that’s the problem, stressing about the future robs me of the present moment, time and time again.
Resisting powerlessness is slavery for a woman like me.
I have slowly found myself walking right into the territory of my greatest foe - anxiety - and throwing my hands over to the shackles.
I don’t know about you, but life has beaten me into a state of submission in which I am fundamentally aware that I have zero control over anything other than myself.
Acceptance is always the road map that leads me out of the valley.
All of this talk about freedom really had me thinking long and hard about the writings of the Apostle Paul. This guy is one of my favorite writers.
Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, I think his gospels are worth a good study.
This guy was beaten, starved, stoned, and absolutely tormented for holding up the truth, with love.
Paul wrote some of the most inspirational, positive, and optimistic gospels while he was held captive. He was literally enslaved but didn’t fall victim to his circumstances.
The man who wrote some of the most profound and encouraging letters to the Church was in the middle of the type of suffering that you and I couldn’t come close to understanding.
In the midst of physical, tangible slavery - Paul found his own freedom.
I couldn’t help but attempt to take on this perspective as it applies to my life.
Whether it’s the very real dangers lurking around in the world around me or the imprisonment within my own mind - I always have the power to choose.
You see, it was only a short 5 years ago that I was absolutely hopeless to my ravishing drug/alcohol addiction.
2 years ago that I was stuck in the vicious cycle of an abusive relationship, with two kids, and absolutely terrified to stay or leave.
I was never meant to live shackled to the toxic patterns of behavior I adopted, but it was one hell of a journey coming to the realization that all along I had the keys to uncuff the shackles that were holding me hostage.
Do I make the decision to live in the bondage of the wreckage of my past or do I choose to live freely in the present moment?
The truth is, we are all as free as we allow ourselves to be.
After all, YOLO. I love all you beautiful humans. Thank you for following along with my, oftentimes, sporadic rants on this little platform.