The Gate Is Open
Learning To Live In The Freedom We Already Have
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." Galatians 5:1
When The Gate Opens
Have you ever wondered what would happen if every enclosure at a zoo were suddenly opened?
Some animals would probably run. Others might stay close to the only environment they have known, even though nothing is keeping them there anymore. The gate may be open, but years of captivity have taught them where it feels safe to stay.
I wonder how often we do the same thing.
Jesus has already set us free, yet old patterns, addictions, codependence, fear, shame, or familiar ways of thinking can keep us living inside boundaries that no longer define us.
The Familiar Can Feel Safe
Being set free and learning to live free are not always the same thing.
Sometimes the old enclosure feels safer simply because we know it. We know how to survive there. Even patterns that have hurt us can become familiar enough that stepping beyond them feels frightening.
Abba doesn't shame us for this.
He lovingly awakens us to what is already true: the gate is open.
Learning To Live Free
Freedom isn't simply the removal of whatever once held us.
It's discovering who we are and learning to live the life we were created to live.
That's why freedom in Christ is so relational.
We aren't released and then left alone to figure out where to go. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are with us as we learn to leave behind the patterns of captivity and walk into the spacious life of being deeply loved.
Beyond The Gate
Maybe the question isn't simply, “What has held me captive?”
A better question may be, “Where am I still living as though I'm not already free?”
Jesus has already opened the gate. Now, in the safety of His love, we get to discover what freedom looks like as it becomes the way we actually live.
Being set free is His gift. Learning to live free is the beautiful journey we take with Him.
Reflection
Where am I still living as though the gate is closed?
What familiar pattern keeps drawing me back toward the enclosure?
Where is Abba inviting me to experience the freedom I already have?
Prayer
Abba Father, thank You for setting me free. Walk with me as I learn to live in the freedom You have already given me. Amen.