Thursday, November 03, 2005

Another paper for Christian Tradition

Freedom
The theme of Exodus is one that echoes throughout the entire Bible. It is one in which God releases His people Israel from the grip of slavery. In reading it, I am amazed at the facet of God that displays His gutsiness. He is no faint-hearted care-bear figure who flitters around in pastel colors or frolics in the clouds. He is a passionate, indomitable being whose word is all-powerful and whose plan is extraordinary.
God demonstrates this to us often in Exodus. He appears to Moses on Mount Horeb in the form of a blazing, burning bush. He transforms a simple staff into a hissing serpent. He rains down fire from heaven, and He dominates the Egyptian enemy army in the Red Sea, all in the pursuit of His first love – the hearts of the Israelite people. He longed to free them from the physical burden of slavery, but also from the spiritual bondage that their hearts were captive to. Slavery comes in many different forms – spiritual and physical - and even today, He is willing to do the same freeing work in our hearts.
The story of my own freedom from captivity starts long before my time. It begins when three little girls, the eldest of whom was my mother, sought to be loved and valued in a broken home. Fear gripped her heart as she scrambled to round up whatever would bring momentary peace. Shame and guilt formed the bars to her prison of never measuring up, and harsh memories formed the pictures on her cell walls. She grew up without the luxuries of a richly warm, loving and complete family. She did not know what such a family scenario would look like, but years later, when she married and started her own family, she longed to give her own children a better future than what her past handed to her; and maybe even more than that longing, there was a time when her heart cried out for spiritual truth.
She searched for it in all the wrong places before coming to know the Lord Jesus as her redeemer and friend. She found hope in Him. He accepted her. He renewed her. He gave her a fresh start and promised healing. As Psalm 103 says, he forgave all her sins, redeemed her life from the pit and renewed her youth like the eagle’s.
Her faith and commitment to the Lord Jesus made her surrender her parenting to Him. She had had no one in her past to look to for advice on parenting rightly; no one had shown her how to do it. She, many times, was terrified of continuing the cycle of bondage that her parents passed on to her. Yet, as she trusted God, He provided for her. He did it in obscure ways -- James Dobson would come on the radio with just the right topic at just the right moment or other events would occur that were too perfect to pass off as coincidences. The Lord Himself taught her how to be a good mom. She, in turn, taught us kids about Him. She showed me how to love and honor Him. She was also, and is now, a prayer warrior for our family, melting away the obstacles that loom over us in our spiritual journeys.
Because of my mom’s story, I have a story of freedom. I know what it is like to come home after school to a complete family. I know what it is like to be loved by my parents. I am free there!
The sequence of events that has led to my freedom is mind-boggling to me, because the sequence of nature is so often quite the opposite. Children wallow in the consequences of their parents’ bad decisions, and they learn there. They always learn. Then, when they get older, they know nothing besides mud. Their parents placed them there years ago just as their parents placed them there before that. They all grow up in it, and they all live in it generation after generation. But, because of the Lord Jesus’ work, I have not inherited that slavery from my mom! Instead of being given the heavy burden of fear and shame, I was given life and love!
He does that amazing work everyday in the lives of those He seeks to save. “The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel.” (Psalm 103:6-7)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Powerful paper!

Anonymous said...

Hey Kt. I just read your blogs like you said. Wow, you really got me thinking. Idk, i get this different feeling after reading some of the things you wrote. Your blog entitled "erica" was one that just made me...get this different feeling in my chest. I can't explain it and give it enough justice at the same time.
Maybe one day i'll be able to communicate my thoughts more openly and complete like you. Thanks for telling me about this. It's really cool. Hope to talk to you again soon.
-Stefan

Anonymous said...

Hey Kt girl..This is so true. I have a lot of baggage that comes from decisions my parents (and their parents) made. Me and my sisters are commited to giving our kids that freedom of which you speak. And maybe even figuring out ways to help our parents(mostly our dad) find that freedom too. So yeah, I like you so much! Stay blessed sweet friend.

Anonymous said...

Hi KT,
I commented on your blog, but it didn't show up. Tried again today and it seemed to go. I must have done something wrong yesterday. Anyway - not remembering exactly what I said yesterday, here goes again. I was touched by your paper, being the oldest of the three little girls reading your perspective. I cried when I read "the Lord Himself taught her how to be a good mom", and it makes me cry now to type it. It is
so true that the Lord himself, lowered himself to my level so I could relate and hear him; how faithful and loving the Lord is to keep his promise to me from Deut 7:9 "Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands." The Lord indeed is God!
He continues His gentle loving work in my life as in Isaiah 61:1-4. Right now working on the 4th verse. Rebuilding the ancient ruins, restoring the places long devastated; renewing the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
Reading your paper also tells me that my prayer of the last part of
verse 3 ("They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor") . He is also answering. Letting my life, my life that scared little girl display a bit of the work He longs to do in the hearts of all His children. And you are right, there are many forms of bondage and only in complete surrender to him -the surrender that happens when we truly KNOW we would ruin it and He MUST take over, is His work really done the way He wants. I love the work he has done in you!!
I think a lot of the Bible speaks of bondage and deliverance, Isaiah
does, that's where we are studying in the Beth Moore study, Breaking
Free. I just read Psalm 103 as part of our study; that was cool! You know I was thinking that I feel just like a kid sometimes these days, young and renewed. Except for the sore muscles I got from planting 157 bulbs. Haha.
Enough for now, have a fun weekend!
I love You, MoM