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As Iron Rose Sisters, we celebrate the diversity of the beautiful roses found in God’s Garden. Yet we also acknowledge the thorns that hinder us.
As the sun was setting one summer afternoon, sweat dripping down into my eyes, I recognized how the contentment from filling my tub with blackberries and the anticipation of moist blackberry cobbler made up for my discomfort... for a time.
Every year, I enjoy picking blackberries: the memories of picking at Grandpa’s farm, the sweet fruit of labor in the hot sun, and the sense of accomplishment after reaching that one more, super-sweet berry, just out of reach.
Determined to traverse the entangling vines of wild blackberry bushes in order to get to the next bush with even larger berries, I became trapped. The temptation had been too great. The thorny vines that surrounded me snagged my clothes and dug into my skin. No matter which way I tried to move, I became even more entangled and the pain was increasing.
The thorns that characterize a blackberry bush are vicious, entangling, frustrating, and a hindering nuisance. Struggling to break free can make it even harder to dislodge the embedded thorns.
Thorns are not just found on blackberry bushes. How do we break free from them? And what about when we are ensnared by the thorns of others?
God invites us to break the thorns of destructive cycles that hinder our growth and our freedom. The thorns of our past do not have to define or ensnare us.
No thorn is too embedded for God to remove. No thorny vine is too entangling for God to break you free from.
When my mom Googled the purpose of thorns for blackberry bushes, the first answer that popped up was the recommendation to plant them on a wall or near a fence “in order to deter teenagers from climbing.” This was not the answer we were seeking, but it reminded me of how much we allow thorns to deter us.
Satan will use anything to deter us from freedom. Yet freedom is promised by the Thorn-breaker, Transformer of lives, and Redeemer of brokenness and pain.
What is a thorn you would like to ask God to break you free from? The Healer is loving, gentle, and kind, even if the freedom from thorns requires discipline, pruning, or pain.
#IronRoseSister #freedom #truth #thorns #Healer
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31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
Earlier this month, in two of the countries where I have lived, Independence Day was celebrated. For the U.S.A., it is July 4th. In Venezuela, it is July 5th. What is supposedly celebrated on these holidays is the freedom obtained from the oppression by a country that had dominated them.
Yet today, in both of those countries, there are many people who feel more oppressed than free. In Venezuela, they are lamenting the oppression by the government, the economic situation, the lack of basic foods and medicines, etc. In contrast, for those who live in the United States, oppression is felt from other sources, stresses, and worries—many self-induced.
Everyone seeks freedom. And in that search, we may fear ending up more dependent than independent. But it all depends on how you define the terms freedom, dependence, and independence; they can be good or bad.
Do you define freedom in political or economic terms?
Or do you define freedom as something more internal (mental, emotional or spiritual) that no one can take away from you?
Do you describe dependence as something negative because you don’t want to be seen as week, needing to depend on others?
Or do you recognize our dependence on Jesus as the author and perfecter of our faith, our Savior and Lord whose blood we must have in order to be in relationship with God?
And if independence is defined as freedom from oppression, what greater oppression is there than that which is found under sin’s grasp?
Jesus says that we will know the truth and that the truth will set us free (John 8:32). He later reveals that He is that truth (John 14:6).
Today, I invite you to celebrate the dependence we have on Christ and the true freedom we find in Him. When I put it in perspective, I rejoice as a slave of God, dependent on Christ, living by the Spirit. That is the truth and true freedom the world is seeking, that can only be found in Him.
Are you truly free? Do you know the Truth that leads to true freedom?
#IronRoseSister #freedom #truth #MichelleJGoff #blog