Freedom

In life God has given us so much freedom and I usually find that for me it is this freedom that is as much as a great gift as it is overwhelming.  My confession is that sometimes I just want people to tell me what to do, and exactly how to do it.  This way I don't have to take any responsibility for being wrong.  I have dealt with this in my music performance.  If I am on stage and asked to improvise a solo, on one hand I think wow that sounds so fun and what an honor to be able to create a solo, but on the other hand I say, no please just tell me what to play.  After awhile I started to recognize this pattern in my life and realized that God doesn't want me to live in fear of making a mistake.  I can teach it to my kids all day long, but until I step out and live in this freedom and accept the grace to live each experience fully.  To step out into the exciting places where I may not know what is to come but I am growing as I take each step I am heading towards the dreams that are exciting to me and I am setting an example and giving others permission to do the same.  As I look at the gift of freedom, I see endless possibilities.  I see God's infinite creativity and I see grace.  We are given this freedom because it helps us become who we are.  We don't have to fit into any certain mold or do anything in the same manner as another person.  As long as God is our source, we are walking with His righteousness and His grace covers us.  As we step out we are stepping out with the dreams He has given us and He is growing our character to be more Christ like.  He is always guiding our ways so that we become better each day and we are walking in the direction of our dreams.  One of my favorite quotes is by Henry David Thoreau, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined." What an exciting way to life!  Today I am fully embracing the freedom that God has given me and asking Him what is my next step in the journey?