Fully Loved, Fully Free

If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Have you ever wanted to hide your brokenness from others so much that it kept you from experiencing true fellowship?

Me, too.

I once almost missed out on a trip with friends simply because I didn’t want them to see my vulnerable, hurting heart. Though I knew these women from our interactions online, I had never met them in person, and we were going on a trip to get to know one another. The timing of the trip could not have been worse. I was running on fumes, trying to finish work projects, manage our home, and care for our children. From the outside, I assumed these women all had their lives together, and I feared being exposed as a fraud. What if I cry in front of my new friends? What if I fall apart in front of these women I deeply respect and have been inspired by? What if I panic being away from home and embarrass myself? These what-if questions swirled in my mind like a tornado.

By God’s grace, I went anyway, lugging along my brokenness and extra baggage but also the promises of God. And you know what? Each of those what-if fears came to fruition.

I did cry.

I did fall apart.

I did struggle with panic.

And my new friends still loved me like Jesus does.

God used these friends to show me that his love for me does not decrease in my lowest moments or increase in my mountaintop moments. His love is complete, fulfilled—a done deal through Christ.

Fully loved, fully free, fully his: this is who I am, and this is who you are too.

Satan tempts us to hide our brokenness by plastering on an “I’m fine” smile while we bleed inside. Just as Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together in an attempt to hide their transgression, we try to hide from God and the people he has placed around us. We sweep our struggles under the rug, mask our pain with platitudes, and tidy up our anxiety by acting as if we are invincible, as if we can hide our need for help.

But Jesus did not come for those who have their act together; he came for the hurting, the broken, and the needy (see Luke 5:31-32). He came to set us free, eliminate the need for our fig leaves, and cloak us with a better covering—his shed blood (see Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 1:7).

Gospel-centered friendship is not rooted in showing off our independence or our ability to control the details of our lives; it is found in showing up just as we are, seeking Christ in the middle of our brokenness. Godly friendship flourishes when we speak words of life into weary souls—and when we receive those words ourselves.

Breakdowns often lead to breakthroughs, which God uses to break apart the lies and strongholds gripping us. We weren’t made to walk alone. But we must be willing to start walking broken, knowing Jesus is with us and trusting that he loves us every step of the way as we follow him.

Will you risk loving someone else that way? And will you risk being loved that way?

Word before World Fully loved, fully free, fully his—this is who you are in Christ!

Grow in Grace What brokenness or struggle are you attempting to hide from God and others? Ask God to set you free so you can hear and speak words of life today.