You are good enough (because of Jesus)
We just celebrated Easter weekend, another opportunity for us to flaunt our families and outfits and perfect events on social media. Or maybe not so perfect?
I recognize the internal pull that events, even spiritual ones, can create in us. There is the tension of juggling family members and their needs. Of trying to make special memories happen for our kids. Of feeling we should be having a poignant spiritual experience.
As for me, I wasted a little time this past weekend feeling guilty about not helping at a church event, and ashamed that I felt a little more distant from God than usual. I temporarily turned Easter into an event about me basically.
Just a gentle reminder to all of us that when Jesus purchased our freedom with his last, ultimate, sacrificial act, he really meant it. It does not come with strings attached. It does not come with performance reviews. You are free.
That freedom draws us into Him and causes us to desire to live like Him, while the religious burdens we and others place on us tend to do the opposite.
You are free even from religion. (Am I allowed to say that?) Free to be a messy human and to receive real grace and love in the midst of it all. Even better, we can be messy humans together and share the burdens and rewards of community.
When the enemy tries to tell you that your offering isn’t good enough, that your religion isn’t pure enough, that you have not arrived, you get to reply that you are free from all of that. Forever free. Maybe that would be a fitting mantra for this week?
New resources coming down the pipe…
I recently asked anyone in this community who wrestles with stress or anxiety to fill out a brief survey, and a good number of brave souls responded so vulnerably it brought tears to my eyes.
I am in the early stages of putting together a comprehensive guidebook for breaking free of cycles of stress and anxiety, based on the latest science, scripture, and my own experiences. You will be able to interact with the material, working through the steps in the pages, and there will be some community components too. I can’t wait to roll this out, and I am so grateful for your input.
In the meantime, I have put together an online Stress Quiz that is meant to help you grow in awareness about what parts of your life, which factors, are contributing most to your own stress or anxiety.
