I AM EMBRACING FREEDOM

“I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments.” Psalms 119:45

I am slave to no man, no job, no thoughts. I am free to make my own choices.

First, I want to say Happy Father’s Day to all the dad and dad figures out there reading today. I know that dads sometimes get a bad rep and they don’t always get the same love and attention that we show to mothers, but I want you all to know that as a Daddy’s Girl, the most impactful relationship in my life is the one I have with my father. It’s not an easy one, as we have many similarities causing us to bump heads, and I have learned that the older we get the harder it is for us to change, but it is most definitely my most impactful. My daddy loves hard, and he never hesitates to show that love to me or others… and he has always been present.

I’m sure some of you have the same or similar dad stories to mine… and then others of you have completely different stories. Some of those stories make you smile, and some of them make you cry, but I want you to know that no matter the stories, they do not define you… and that leads me into todays affirmation around freedom. Freedom is a timely topic as Juneteenth is right around the corner, the African American celebration of freedom. On paper, we’re celebrating the true freedom of all African Americans from slavery since we were not all freed with the conclusion of the Civil War. In actuality, the freedom celebration goes deeper… and we celebrate the freedom from physical and mental barriers.

Mental barriers. Yup, mental barriers. The true plague of slavery isn’t the physical but the mental. The thoughts that we don’t let go of once our physical barriers are no longer there. The way we let our upbringing keep us from thriving, or bullying keep us from making friends. The way we don’t rest from jobs or responsibilities because of the fear that we’ll lose them (there’s some post traumatic slave syndrome in there but that’s another topic for another day). And then the way we allow negative thinking to stop us dead in our tracks instead of embracing the reality that there’s nothing we can’t do if we put our trust in greater and our energy into the pursuit of more. So how do we combat? With positivity and consistency! So let’s affirm!

Affirmation 1: I am embracing freedom. God says we are free. The bible is full of freedom realization stories. Individuals who were bound but released. People who were in captivity, and then unchained. Generations that were cursed and then freed. And the ones who had the most success were the ones who embraced that freedom instead of continuing in a mindset of limits. Embrace freedom and let go of limits.

Affirmation 2: I am limitless. This is a personal one for me. I discovered that the anxieties and fears of failure had me bound and were preventing me from walking in my truth and purpose. Not wanting to disappoint or harm or make a mistake had my brain in a constant state of limiting my reach. Once I embraced limitless I stopped stopping. I always second guess myself (and that’s not bad, it’s just being sure I’m sure) but I make sure that second guess isn’t a screeching halt on my future. The same is possible for you.

Affirmation 3: I am free to be freely me. Freedom isn’t limited to not belonging to another person, or a profession, or a negative thought. Freedom is being your authentic self, and understanding that you have the right to be that. Love who you are and embrace that every single day. God made you the way you are and wants you to feel free to exercise those beautiful traits he gave you. Being sensitive to your feelings and the feelings of others is a positive not a negative. Being a natural born leader and taking charge doesn’t make you aggressive it means you get the job done. Your silence in the space doesn’t mean you’re too shy it means you like to assess before you engage. And everything in between.

My dears, I hope this entry brought you some new freedoms and realizations for yourself and your life. I hope that you can embrace freedom, and walk in the truth of that act. The savior died so that you can be free and you are free indeed if you keep his promises near to your heart. Be free my loves, and know that I love you and I’m always rooting for you. Keep conquering daily!