"I can't wait until I get older."
I remember thinking that as a child and teenager - I think most of us have.
Now that I am an adult (I think...although sometimes I act like a little kid...), I look at my own children and think "Man, children have it SO good! I wish I could be a kid again." I see them play, I see them so joyful, laughing, living in the moment...their spirits are so free.
It hit me the other day when I was watching Joseph and John-Paul run around through the sprinklers: Children have such an incredible freedom of spirit. It's no wonder that our Lord begs us to become like little children, because really, as Christians, we are all meant to share in this incredible interior freedom.
Think about how little children are:
-They live only in the moment; time is not dictated by schedules or to-do lists. They live perfectly in the moment. Doesn't our Lord tell us the exact same thing? Do not worry about tomorrow..
-They have perfect trust in their parents. Whatever they need, they know their parents will provide.
-They are full of joy; they are often not weighed down by burdens of anxiety, worry, fear, sadness, anger. They experience those emotions, but are easily reassured by mommy or daddy.
-They don't care what other people think - they have no problem randomly spinning around in circles in the middle of a store...
Childen, I have seen from my own, truly live life to the fullest in these ways.
Why is our relationships with our Father in heaven not like this? ...It should be...
I wondered while looking at my own children: "Wow, what an inspiration they are to me, to live in TRUE freedom - this interior spirit of freedom. Complete joy, complete trust, complete surrender to living in that moment. They convict me to be a better Christian, to have greater faith."
The mark of a Christian is joy, is the incredible freedom of spirit. We ARE meant to live this way.
Many people think freedom is merely doing whatever one wants, whenever one wants. But that is a limited sense of freedom; for how truly free are you if you carry around your own prison of pain within? Sure you can do whatever you want, but you are only truly free to the extent you are free inside. Really..how free are you if you carry around a burden of anxiety, worry, guilt, shame, sadness, anger, or fear? You can't enjoy this gift of life in that way.
You are called to an incredible freedom of spirit! This isn't for those "saintly few." This is for all! This is the beauty of living a life in Christ! Our souls were meant to fly to God!
How?
There are many things that may impede this and one must pray and be honest with any of these things which may be holding them back from this spirit of joy and interior freedom:
1. Sin - Sin is like a chain; it weighs us down and prevents us from flying to God. Scripture says that one who sins is a slave to sin. We all are in different ways. Only Jesus can deliver us of this bondage. Is there something lingering in your heart and mind about the way you are a living? What is that "deep tug" in your heart?
2. Attachments - An "attachment" is something(s) in our life that we have an inordinate desire for. For example, our money. Our phones. Technology. Internet usage. Facebook (haha, me) It could be a boyfriend/girlfriend/friendship that consumes our minds too much, taking our sight and our priorities away from the Lord. Attachments are things we cling to excessively and get in our way of being "tuned in" to the Lord. We all have these. I'm not saying a phone, the internet, Facebook, etc... are bad things. What an attachment is is an excessive desire for and to something/someone.
3. Human respect - Too often we are concerned about what others think about us. We fear what others will think or say or do, whether it regards our clothing, what we do, the things we have, and so on. Look, all that matters is how we are before God. Only what the Lord thinks matters. The only thing we should be concerned about is if we are pleasing the Lord and living by His ways. All else shouldn't, in reality, disturb us.
4. Emotional burdens - Of fear, anxiety, worry, stress, anger, sadness, loneliness, bitterness, resentment, restlessness, boredom, and so on. Now we are human, of course we are going to experience these things; emotions are a gift from God because they can stir up something deeper in our souls and can be motivators to move us toward Him. However, the difference in being a Christian is that Christ can help us get through these various feelings and help us discover the underlying reasons for them.. They don't just pop out of no where. "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) Christ helps us carry through these things; if we have enough faith and trust and surrender in Him, these things will even be transformed in an incredible peace of soul and we will carry joy, even through difficult times. Seems crazy right and nonsensical in our world, right? Welcome to the incredible freedom of being a Christian!
The Lord never promised this life would be easy, but He did promise it'd be worth it if we live it the way He wants us to because our reward will be heaven! And along this journey of life, we are ALL called to this incredible and joyful freedom of spirit!
God bless you!