The Peculiar Treasure: Free to Be Me (Mug-spiration Monday)

"Just be yourself"...
The advice we always hear when we are going into a new situation.

Going on a first date? Just be yourself.
First day of school? Just be yourself.
Headed to a job interview? Just be yourself.

We are always told to be ourselves, but sometimes we just don't feel we have the freedom to do that. And sometimes, we don't want to be ourselves because we know that who we are is not who we want to be. We are ashamed of the improvements left unmade in our lives, and we are scared to be ourselves because of it.

But "being me" is different for believers. Being ourselves goes far beyond letting all of our colors show.

Abandon

Being free to be ourselves means being free to live with abandon for the things no one else understands. We are free to not make sense to the world. We are free to live for Jesus without care for who may think we are crazy- because we know they will, and that's okay.

Being free to be ourselves means that we can live with a real and deep purpose without having to worry about what others consider success. We know that our mission is to love God and share him with the world. So we are free to do that without worry or fear about other types of success.

I am free to be me. You are free to be you. The key is understanding where that freedom comes from and how to obtain it.

A Different Kind of Freedom

Being free to be ourselves also means that we have freedom from who we are without God (Isaiah 64:6). I know that I like who I am in Christ. What He has made me and how I act with His help is a whole lot better than who I am without Him or when I am not living for Him and obeying Him.

I am free to NOT live for myself. That probably sounds like the antithesis of freedom to some, but let me put it like this: When I live for myself, I tend to only care about my well-being- never the well-being of others. When I live for myself, it doesn't matter who I steam-roll over, who I hurt, or how I act, because as long as I get whatever makes ME happy, all is hunky-dory.

That is not freedom. That makes for a miserable, sad, and lonely life. Being free in Christ means that we recognize that there IS something bigger than ourselves to live for, and realizing that living in true freedom means not being so inward focused. This doesn't mean that we throw self-care out the window. It doesn't mean that we never stand up for ourselves or look out for ourselves. But what it does mean is that in order to live a free life, we have to look further than just ourselves.

Christ set us free so that we could have true freedom. Read more to find out what that means and how to obtain it!

So Not Easy

I would never sit here and tell you that this kind of freedom is easy right off the bat. Living in freedom is one of my biggest struggles in life. But just because something isn't easy, doesn't mean that it isn't worth it. And that's where being disciplined to reach a better way of living comes in. That's why we have to be disciplined in order to be free.

We really can live a life of freedom. We really are free to be ourselves. And that should excite us. That should make us strive for that freedom and work towards it. What do you say? Are you with me?

22 comments

UnknownJanuary 23, 2017 at 8:13 AM
This reminds me of the expression "freedom is not free". I think when we do things like self-care, the intention should be to make ourselves balanced enough to give of ourselves to others. Beautiful message in this post!
Nicole KauffmanJanuary 23, 2017 at 9:12 AM
I love that you point out the difficulty of getting to that point of freedom! So many think that salvation=freedom and that is so far from the truth! Freedom takes work, trust and transformation. But it is SO worth the effort. Thank you for sharing this!
UnknownJanuary 23, 2017 at 9:45 AM
Kristin!!! I love that you said "we are free to not make sense to the world". This is the freedom I love in, and that I love. I know living for Christ does not always look "right" to the outside world, but let me tell you, when I look at what they call freedom...well, they can keep it! I really love this post. Thank you for sharing, really enjoyed reading this.
JoyJanuary 23, 2017 at 9:51 AM
It's a challenge, this being me thing - but it's so worth it! Thank you for the reminder.
AnonymousJanuary 23, 2017 at 10:05 AM
Great post. I am all about being myself lately and you are right sometimes it is not easy. I feel like I don't want to offend or hurt anyone by doing what I want or saying whats on my mind but at the end I feel like if it's pleasing to Jesus I shouldn't really worry too much about it.
candyJanuary 23, 2017 at 10:11 AM
I have seen so many people think that freedom seems to be yelling, screaming, crying and having a melt down. Using threats all because I may not agree with the way they think or feel. Plus tired of being attached for be a christian.
Becky @ Disney in your DayJanuary 23, 2017 at 1:02 PM
Really well written! I think it takes a lot of courage to have this kind of freedom, even if it's not what people typically think of when I think of being "free."
CallieJanuary 23, 2017 at 1:30 PM
Wonderfully said. Thank you for posting such inspirational words! :)
CristinaJanuary 23, 2017 at 3:29 PM
What an amazing, beautiful and peaceful blog post! <3
JNoteMusicJanuary 23, 2017 at 11:24 PM
The best thing we can do for ourselves is to be ourselves without exemption. Love who you are regardless of what others think and don;t feel ashamed or bad about it.
SimiJanuary 24, 2017 at 8:07 AM
This is such a beautiful post. Thank you.
Breakfast at LillysJanuary 24, 2017 at 9:48 AM
Love this post! You bring out some excellent points throughout this post that really resonate with me.
EmilyBendsJanuary 24, 2017 at 10:19 AM
This is such a well written and inspiring post. Definitely one to come back to!
Sarah JeanJanuary 24, 2017 at 10:52 AM
With all the mistakes and wrong choices I make I am glad I am NOT free to live myself and instead have God's help!
AlexisCarolyneJanuary 24, 2017 at 10:57 AM
This is so beautiful and I definitely resonate with this. I am only just now learning how how to be "free". Love it!
Mrs. RamseyJanuary 25, 2017 at 8:11 AM
Thank you for this great reminder to be who we are in Christ! You reminded me of Paul's saying that everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. What's the point of freedom to the point of doing whatever we want if it doesn't advance God's Kingdom?
AnonymousJanuary 25, 2017 at 9:19 AM
Yes, we have the freedom to be ourselves. We have the freedom to believe what we want to believe. We have the freedom to act how we want to act. And should the person we are dating or the person we are interviewing with not mesh well, then it wasnt meant to be.
UnknownJanuary 25, 2017 at 9:34 AM
Such great advice!!! Always be yourself.

Cristy
www.happyfamilyblog.com
UnknownJanuary 25, 2017 at 1:50 PM
I love this! I feel like so many people get held up in the "free to be me" part of life. We are so driven to fit in when a lot of times we are so much better standing out.
Laura HughesJanuary 26, 2017 at 7:55 AM
I love the idea of being free to not live for yourself, being yourself but living to lift others up.

Being yourself is HARD, but we should never forget we have that freedom and always fight to enjoy that right.
JLynnCorterJanuary 29, 2017 at 4:38 PM
I'm with you! What an inspiring post!
UnknownFebruary 4, 2017 at 5:38 AM
"Being free in Christ means that we recognize that there IS something bigger than ourselves to live for, and realizing that living in true freedom means not being so inward focused" Love this!!!