Freedom in Barcelona - Happy Easter!
Freedom: noun - the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint
What do you think of when you think of freedom? The USA? Our Amendments? Basic human rights? Free will? I don't think theres technically a right or wrong answer here but there is one question I want to ask: Do you think of the Freedom that is found in Jesus Christ? Does that come to your mind?
My all-time favorite blog post is pinned on my Twitter page (@8bams - I'm "known" for Tweeting things only funny to me, so if you follow me, don't say I didn't warn you)... It's called, The Day I Decided to Stop Listening to What Everybody's Saying I'm Supposed to do & Why I'm Not Ready to Get Married in 44 Days by Abigail Mary Green. Like her, I think I was born with a rebel soul. A soul who doesn't want to go with the "mainstream," a soul who wants to be free. Free to do as I please. Ask my parents, I am more apt to do something if I make up my mind I want to do it; no matter how many times I've been asked... But when God asks me to do something, I unfortunately react in the same way... "Why me?", "How?", "Is it actually God talking to me or am I making this up in my head?"... It's a blessing to be called to do God's work. It's a blessing to be a Daughter of the One True King. But no one ever said being a follower of Christ was easy... No one said it wouldn't come with hardships, complications, trials, second-guesses, questions, errors.. No one said we wouldn't go our own way, even if we thought it was where God was leading us.. No one said we wouldn't slip, fall and have to find our way back on the right path. God gave me a rebel soul and for that I am so thankful - thankful He gave me the backbone to want to go my own way and want to prove others wrong and do things no one ever thought about doing or thinks is down right crazy because they themselves wouldn't do it. I'm thankful that I have the confidence to blaze the path ahead of me, even if no one is following. Even if people think I'm downright crazy. Sometimes it's lonely, sometimes I don't know what the heck I'm doing myself and I have to laugh because God just cracks me up at the moves He's making in my life.
I love when she says:
"It is wildly exhilarating to declare yourself free from all that everybody is expecting you to do.
To decide to be barefoot when you walk down the aisle,
To not ask for trash cans & spatulas on your registry,
& to rest in the reverie,
that everything I am “supposed to do” is all just a big fat lie that I don’t have to listen to.
& maybe just maybe,
I was divinely designed to be exactly who I am,
& to fit a mold made by anybody besides my creative Father is to rob the world of all the things that make me, me.
So this is me charging you…
What are THEY telling you that you’re supposed to do?
& who is THEY anyway?
Is it the media, your advisor, your friends, your family,
Or perhaps,
Is it your own voice whispering lies so quietly you are unaware that you’re believing it?
Be free.
There is a God,
Who made you,
Who wants you to be free.
His Word even says it.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free”.
Ask him to help you be free,
From your past regrets,
Your present sins,
Your future worries.
God is always wanting to set you free."
Sometimes I have to remind myself, though, that His spirit lives within me and I am just an empty vessel. That in order to live free, I have to listen to His Will on my life and follow the path he has set in motion. HE fills me with life, with who I am. I am the lighthouse and without Him, no light shines through me. I am His vessel. Christ calls us to go forth and make disciples of men, to build a rock-solid foundation in Him, to stand firm in who He is, to never waiver. There's the analogy that He is the lighthouse and we are the vessel lost at sea but I love thinking that once we find that lighthouse we become the lighthouse, built on the solid foundation that never moves with the ever-changing waves of the sea. That the light of Jesus shines through us to help Him bring the lost home - to go forth and make disciples of men. So then she asks, "will you be ready?" If we answer honestly, probably not. But if we waited around until we were "ready," we'd never be ready. We'd always come up with an excuse, a reason "why not," or something else is taking up our time or we can't do it... And then that experience, that opportunity, would pass us by and we'd be left wondering, "what if...." - Well what if you were supposed to go and touch someone in some way? You may not see it reciprocated or see that person become a believer that day, but you may have missed an opportunity to show someone the love of Jesus. Personally, I don't want to live that way. I don't want to be wondering on the day the Lord calls me home, what if... If He presents me an opportunity, I want to pursue it, even if I'm scared and if He doesn't want me to do it, it will be known and He will close that door. And maybe He'll open that same door at another time, another day, in another place because it's all His plan and His time anyway, right?
"Ready is a lie
& it steals
all your hopes & dreams.
& it paralyzes
your feet from moving.
& it cripples
your heart from believing life is most beautiful when living in the unknown.
Don’t be ready,
Be free."
I wasn't ready to move to Alabama and then I wasn't ready to move home.. I had every excuse in the book not to come to Europe. I'm still making excuses... But God wants me to be here and who am I to deny His Will (or to allow him to teach me needed lessons)? I'm going to go home broke... I mean $0 to my name... But I will go with life experiences that I would have never had or ever been able to experience otherwise. In the words of the guy at the front desk of our Hostel, "It doesn't matter what's in the bank, what matters is what's in your heart." I've learned to live free, to go with the flow and to NOT listen to what everyone else is telling me to do. I find it exhilarating to not have an entire plan, to completely step out in faith when everything in the world is telling me no, that won't work, you can't do it. That's when my rebel soul is bold, when I get to prove others wrong and live the way Jesus wants me to live: Free.
What do you think of when you think of freedom? The USA? Our Amendments? Basic human rights? Free will? I don't think theres technically a right or wrong answer here but there is one question I want to ask: Do you think of the Freedom that is found in Jesus Christ? Does that come to your mind?
My all-time favorite blog post is pinned on my Twitter page (@8bams - I'm "known" for Tweeting things only funny to me, so if you follow me, don't say I didn't warn you)... It's called, The Day I Decided to Stop Listening to What Everybody's Saying I'm Supposed to do & Why I'm Not Ready to Get Married in 44 Days by Abigail Mary Green. Like her, I think I was born with a rebel soul. A soul who doesn't want to go with the "mainstream," a soul who wants to be free. Free to do as I please. Ask my parents, I am more apt to do something if I make up my mind I want to do it; no matter how many times I've been asked... But when God asks me to do something, I unfortunately react in the same way... "Why me?", "How?", "Is it actually God talking to me or am I making this up in my head?"... It's a blessing to be called to do God's work. It's a blessing to be a Daughter of the One True King. But no one ever said being a follower of Christ was easy... No one said it wouldn't come with hardships, complications, trials, second-guesses, questions, errors.. No one said we wouldn't go our own way, even if we thought it was where God was leading us.. No one said we wouldn't slip, fall and have to find our way back on the right path. God gave me a rebel soul and for that I am so thankful - thankful He gave me the backbone to want to go my own way and want to prove others wrong and do things no one ever thought about doing or thinks is down right crazy because they themselves wouldn't do it. I'm thankful that I have the confidence to blaze the path ahead of me, even if no one is following. Even if people think I'm downright crazy. Sometimes it's lonely, sometimes I don't know what the heck I'm doing myself and I have to laugh because God just cracks me up at the moves He's making in my life.
I love when she says:
"It is wildly exhilarating to declare yourself free from all that everybody is expecting you to do.
To decide to be barefoot when you walk down the aisle,
To not ask for trash cans & spatulas on your registry,
& to rest in the reverie,
that everything I am “supposed to do” is all just a big fat lie that I don’t have to listen to.
& maybe just maybe,
I was divinely designed to be exactly who I am,
& to fit a mold made by anybody besides my creative Father is to rob the world of all the things that make me, me.
So this is me charging you…
What are THEY telling you that you’re supposed to do?
& who is THEY anyway?
Is it the media, your advisor, your friends, your family,
Or perhaps,
Is it your own voice whispering lies so quietly you are unaware that you’re believing it?
Be free.
There is a God,
Who made you,
Who wants you to be free.
His Word even says it.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free”.
Ask him to help you be free,
From your past regrets,
Your present sins,
Your future worries.
God is always wanting to set you free."
Sometimes I have to remind myself, though, that His spirit lives within me and I am just an empty vessel. That in order to live free, I have to listen to His Will on my life and follow the path he has set in motion. HE fills me with life, with who I am. I am the lighthouse and without Him, no light shines through me. I am His vessel. Christ calls us to go forth and make disciples of men, to build a rock-solid foundation in Him, to stand firm in who He is, to never waiver. There's the analogy that He is the lighthouse and we are the vessel lost at sea but I love thinking that once we find that lighthouse we become the lighthouse, built on the solid foundation that never moves with the ever-changing waves of the sea. That the light of Jesus shines through us to help Him bring the lost home - to go forth and make disciples of men. So then she asks, "will you be ready?" If we answer honestly, probably not. But if we waited around until we were "ready," we'd never be ready. We'd always come up with an excuse, a reason "why not," or something else is taking up our time or we can't do it... And then that experience, that opportunity, would pass us by and we'd be left wondering, "what if...." - Well what if you were supposed to go and touch someone in some way? You may not see it reciprocated or see that person become a believer that day, but you may have missed an opportunity to show someone the love of Jesus. Personally, I don't want to live that way. I don't want to be wondering on the day the Lord calls me home, what if... If He presents me an opportunity, I want to pursue it, even if I'm scared and if He doesn't want me to do it, it will be known and He will close that door. And maybe He'll open that same door at another time, another day, in another place because it's all His plan and His time anyway, right?
"Ready is a lie
& it steals
all your hopes & dreams.
& it paralyzes
your feet from moving.
& it cripples
your heart from believing life is most beautiful when living in the unknown.
Don’t be ready,
Be free."
I wasn't ready to move to Alabama and then I wasn't ready to move home.. I had every excuse in the book not to come to Europe. I'm still making excuses... But God wants me to be here and who am I to deny His Will (or to allow him to teach me needed lessons)? I'm going to go home broke... I mean $0 to my name... But I will go with life experiences that I would have never had or ever been able to experience otherwise. In the words of the guy at the front desk of our Hostel, "It doesn't matter what's in the bank, what matters is what's in your heart." I've learned to live free, to go with the flow and to NOT listen to what everyone else is telling me to do. I find it exhilarating to not have an entire plan, to completely step out in faith when everything in the world is telling me no, that won't work, you can't do it. That's when my rebel soul is bold, when I get to prove others wrong and live the way Jesus wants me to live: Free.
I went to Barcelona this weekend and it was the best city I've been to since arriving in Europe. It's vibrant in culture, people, scenery... I couldn't get enough! The people were genuine, always willing to help, give directions, etc... because we got lost... a lot. Since New York, I've never felt so comfortable being lost. Getting lost in that city will take you to something new and exciting around every corner... The beauty is astounding. Though we didn't even get close to seeing it all, it is that one city that I left saying, "I'll be back." Sunday was my favorite day: Easter. The day that I finally got to go to a church to Praise my sweet, sweet King Jesus with other followers of Christ from all around the world... It was much, much needed. He filled me with His never-ending love and it was the exact pick-me-up that I needed. Being in the Czech and being a Christian is not easy - the devil is prowling around every corner and while at church, I met a sweet soul named Brooke. Like many friends I met through my church in Alabama, Brooke and I had the, "Christ Connection" instantly and she filled me with so much joy! Living out her life for the Lord gave me the hope and rendered freedom I was needing. I also met another girl, Natalie, on our walking tour we took Saturday and we spent that entire evening, after supper, talking about God and telling stories about how merciful He is. The people make the destination, that I know is true. Barcelona, you're magic, babe! If you ever get to Barcelona, go to the beach, eat all the gelato and Paella you can stomach and stay at Generator, Barcelona and attend a church service at the International Church of Barcelona. Again I say: The people make the destination, no matter how beautiful the destination might be. By faith and not by sight, right?!
"Ready is for people who trust in themselves,
Who want to live small & safe lives.
Freedom is for people who trust in the One who made them,
With that being said, there's only one question for me to ask you this Easter season, do you live free? Have you found that freedom in Jesus Christ? Have you been stumbling around in spiritual darkness? Is the world telling you not to? Not to follow Him, not to seek that freedom? That you can find freedom yourself? That might be true, but how will you know otherwise? I'm not a pastor, I'm not a motivational speaker, but through the trials and tribulations I've gone through in my life, I wouldn't be where I am today without the Freedom believing and following Christ brings. I wouldn't have ended up in so many places in my life where I was able to connect with other Christians who remind me of that Freedom that living for Him brings... Celebrating Jesus' resurrection this weekend always brings me to my knees and I hope and pray that whoever is reading this finds the freedom Jesus offers because of the sacrifice he made for you on the cross. He loves you and he's waiting for you to come home in his arms. "For the son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost" Luke 19:10
"Ready is for people who trust in themselves,
Who want to live small & safe lives.
Freedom is for people who trust in the One who made them,
Who want to live lives too big to be ready for."
I don't want to be ready, I want to be FREE!
"Be strong. Take courage. Don't be intimidated. Don't give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He's right there with you. He won't let you down. He won't leave you." Deuteronomy 31:6
Pictures of Frankfurt during our 6 hour layover on our way back to Prague.
B A R C E L O N A
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