Freedom Fridays

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Welcome to Coffee Hour and Freedom Fridays. Grab your drink and your Strand of Faith. This is a great one and her timing…impeccable! I so was catching what Jennifer’s throwing here, from her heart to yours!

1 step forward and 2 steps back?

Ever feel like you have been making progress climbing up the (proverbial) mountain only to stumble backwards?  It's frustrating to make progress and then lose ground.  Our freedom journey is a lot like that... Or at least mine has been, especially lately. What do we do when our “I got this” becomes “I got this?”

Taking steps forward…progress…it’s thrilling when we move forward, especially if we have been stuck in our own ways or our pain.  It takes resolve to move forward; where does that resolve go to when we take steps back?  It dissolves into discouragement, depression, fear, stress…the list could go on.

The key is to keep the setback in perspective.  They are delays, hindrances, but not necessarily failures. You only fail when you choose not to get back up and keep going. American author Les Brown once said, “Anytime you suffer a setback or disappointment, put your head down and plow ahead.”

Paul the apostle faced setbacks.  How did he handle them? “I have learned,” he wrote, “in whatever state I am in to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” (Philippians 4:11-12).

When things didn't go as planned he could still maintain a positive attitude because he knew God would make all things work together for good (Romans 8:28).

We can strive toward faith, trust, and determination, “And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).

God's word is loaded with truth and guidance, which enables us to cope with setbacks.  There is so much freedom in knowing that setbacks happen but I don’t have to stay there.  I can grow stronger by having the courage to get up and move on. 

Walking forward, toward freedom,

Jennifer