Freedom and Fear
“Eleutheria.”
That's the transliteration of the Greek word for “freedom”, used in the FINDINGbalance key verse Galatians 5:1, which says "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (ESV) In context, this verse is actually about whether we should be living under the Mosaic law and thereby be saved by it (impossible!), or whether we should be saved by Christ and see Him as the fulfillment of the law.
There are so many implications of the freedom talked about in this verse; the point of freedom is not just about what we are saved from. It is about what we are set free for.
We are set free to live for Christ; to live the life He calls each of us to.
Before discussing this freedom, I want to share an anecdotal thought. It seems to me that different people can be prone to having insecurities about specific parts of their bodies. For me, I can find myself struggling with my thighs. Some time ago while I was on mission in a hot country, I found myself wrestling between wearing clothes for comfort in the heat, or wearing clothes to cover up and hide my thighs. On a long walk one day, I realized that my insecurity was founded not in a pure dislike of my thighs, but in a much deeper fear of rejection; somewhere along the way I believed a lie that people would like me more if my thighs were a different shape to how they are naturally formed by my Creator.
I also realized I wanted to feel beautiful - not a bad desire in itself, but beautiful for and to whom? It makes far more sense to want to be beautiful for the One you are living for, than for people. That can include yourself. Unless you've lined up your standard with the Lord's standards for judging beauty, who are you to decide if you're beautiful or not?
The trouble is, if you live by man's approval, you'll die by man's disapproval. As Proverbs 29:25 puts it, "The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe" (ESV).
Let's go back to freedom here. The kind of life Jesus has called us to is not one driven by fear on any level. It is absolutely not one where you make your body suffer because of fear of what mere people think. 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love" (ESV).
It’s not a shameful thing to struggle with fear. It’s a human thing. But we have a choice on whether we choose to entertain fear, or whether we choose to leave fear behind in the avenues of thoughts we tread on. Some avenues are well-worn; it takes time to train our thoughts down a new path. But real beauty comes from fearing Jesus - that is, not being afraid of Him, but being afraid of not being close enough to Him.
I can only conclude that true beauty is about how you live in your skin. True beauty is about living in the freedom your Creator won for you.
- Jo Pippa von Bergen
Wife & Mama. Lover of Biblical Languages. World Traveler. Amateur Photographer and Artist. Outdoor Activity and Nature Enthusiast. Spoonerism and Silliness Appreciator. Dog Wrangler. Overcomer.
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