Well hello! Welcome, it’s lovely to have you drop by my friend…Today we are reflecting upon what freedom means to us.
So, grab your favorite cuppa & a tasty treat of deliciousness to join me in this time of reflection.
I’m having an Irish Cream tea with a gf passion fruit melting moment as a treat…we are sitting in my dining room overlooking our Spring garden with pink, red & apricot colored Azaleas blooming & our Sydney Rock Orchid flowering for the first time in 20 years with the most amazing & heady fragrance filling the air… Such a delight.
Now we are seated shall we begin our reflection together…
Freedom
The definition; openness in thought, speech, behavior & belief. Not constrained by despotic governing or restraint. The freedom of choice.
In the western world, we enjoy a great deal of freedom within our democratic societies…Though our freedom of speech, thought & belief are mostly taken for granted. We are free to behave in the way we choose as long as the laws of the land are not broken.
Last night it was highlighted to me once again that I am free spirited…our family all took a fun quiz to see how our brain health is fairing & what our brain typing looks like… We then all shared our results & madly set about reading each others profiles to see if we thought each were correct.
We had LOLs as we revealed to each other the fervor of our inquisitiveness to read what types the others had. The brain typing profiles are split into 16 types but we could definitely see traits revealed in the family members.
Hubby & I read our respective types out loud with each other, which resulted in a relationship building exercise!
For many decades I have known that I am what’s described as free spirited. In other words I can’t keep up with the conformity in this world. I need to be who I was created to be & not squeezed into other’s idealized characterizations & expectations.
I am fiercely independent, confident, non conformist, deeply caring & always seeking to understand the people & world around me. Consequently questioning & challenging the socially constructed norms within our society.
The freedom to grow into who I was created to be was found through faith…as I found that Jesus is also free spirited!
He is fiercely independent of man’s approval, confident in who He is, definitely a non conformist & deeply caring for all people throughout the ages even to the point of sacrificing Himself for us! He was not tied to other’s idealized characterizations & expectations of Him while He walked the earth!
I love the following text…
“…where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom & liberty”
2 Corinthians 3:17
Are you living in the freedom to be who you were uniquely created to be? Or are you trying to conform to this world’s characterizations & expectations?
“I urge you my dear friends…do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind in what is good, acceptable & perfect for you in His sight.”
Romans12: 1-2
Until next time,
Jennifer
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Sadly at the moment in my country the word free has been perverted to include doing any and every thing rather than coming into full humanity in Jesus. Thanks for your thoughts.
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When we take our eyes off Him & focus on Self sadly that’s the outcome…compassion & love go out the door Elizabeth…
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Love it Jen. Just perfection
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Thank you Jan for your kind words, glad you enjoyed it & lovely to have you join me 😀
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Very interesting indeed! I am blessed to say I have been becoming more free spirited, but growing up that was not the case. Our family dynamics were traditional and controlled and so was I in an effort to gain approval. Later as an adult I discovered that Jesus was more playful and free spirited than I had known when I first met Him as a child. Since then I have been reveling in the new discovery that it is okay to not always follow the norms and not always be predictable even if I am pretty consistent as a rule.
Great post, Jennifer! Love to hear of your spring flowers as we move toward fall. It has been sunny and warm here, but with cooler mornings and a breeze that make the weather ideal. Here and there a few tress have a leaf or two hinting color. No idea what this autumn will be like, but long range forecasts say we are in for a cold and very snowy winter. Sounds perfect for fireplace sitting, snuggly sweaters, hot cups of yummy things to sip, great books to read, and a slower pace.
Have a great weekend!
Pam
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Thank you Pam! Yes, knowing Jesus for who He truly is, is so freeing…I always think how special He was when children were always wanting to spend time with Him when He was out & about.
I’m glad you are enjoying that aspect in your relationship with Him…
We are looking forward to warmer days, although some huge storms have just been through & our garden is looking a little worse for it. But the Azaleas survived.
Have a great weekend Pam 😀
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Jennifer, I love the 2 Corinthians 3:17 scripture. What a wonderful post sweet friend. I always find God-centered and thought provoking posts when I visit you. Thank you for your ministry!
Hugs, Pam
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Thank you for your kind words Pam. I’m glad you enjoy our time together & find encouragement in your spiritual journey here! What a blessing that is for me too! 😀
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What beautiful thoughts for pondering, Jennifer. The Lord is bringing me into places of more free-spirited living in my soul, even as my body has become more limited. God’s ways are so much higher than ours! And I had to go look up your rock orchids, they must be so lovely. It is a comfort to hear about your springtime there! Blessings to you.
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The orchids are so beautiful Bettie, each flower on the large stem of flowers is a complete miniature orchid! And their perfume is so delightful 😀
Yes, His grace is freeing in the midst of chronic pain isn’t it. ♥
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Jennifer,
It took me a long time to “grow into myself”. I have always been so sensitive and tender-hearted. For a long time I thought God must have made a mistake with me. Lately I’ve been reading a great book – soon to be released, called “Sensitive & Strong”. The authors talk about being an HSP (Highly sensitive person). It confirms what I’ve been learning about myself over a lifetime – that God made me perfectly and His designs are not flawed. Lovely to have tea with you this am.
Blessings,
Bev xx
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I agree Bev with your statement, “God made me perfectly and His designs are not flawed” yes & yes! 😀
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I like how you highlight that freedom and caring for others can go together. I think a lot of people look at freedom as doing what they want and not bothering about other people, but Jesus’ way of freedom is much better!
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Absolutely Lesley! His freedom creates greater love & compassion for others because its His love & compassion working 😉
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I grew up marching the beat of my own drummer, so I’m pretty comfortable doing what I know is right and now fretting over what the world thinks of me…most of the time ;). When I feel the tug of comparison, I often retreat to my Bible and find verses that encourage me to be who GOD wants me to be.
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Great to hear Anita! It’s so freeing to be who we are created to be… 😀
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Thank you for your words. Good post. I drink Good Night Tea now 🙂
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Thank you Aritha! Good night tea would be very calming 😀
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Enjoyed this post on freedom, Jennifer. We don’t often think about our freedom of speech in America. While I’m thankful for a country founded on this kind of freedom, it is being tested and tried more and more. Even on social media it seems anti-Christian thoughts can roll through the news feed, but many believers are having posts removed and even being suspended due to Big Tech companies who are progressive in their approach, deciding who can say what. It’s happened to me on one particular venue and then on another social media, I was able to appeal it and they put my account back up. A whistle blower at Pinterest even gave interviews of how much shadow banning and censoring goes on behind the scenes for Christians. It’s sad really. But one thing no one can take from us is our freedom in Christ!
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Oh, I didn’t know any of that Karen! Thank you for that info. That type of covet & overt Censorship is very concerning indeed!
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Great post! I love the words in Romans 12:1. I am learning to seek God first rather than listen to what the world says. Not always easy to do with all of the influx of social media. It was fun learning a bit more about you.
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Thank you Mary, yes I agree we need His wisdom & discernment with the influences on all forms of digital media now 😀
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Great post!! Thanks so much for stopping by!!
Hugs,
Debbie
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Thank you Debbie & lovely you joined me in a cuppa 😀
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I love this post. The older I get the more freedom I experience. Now that I am on this side of life I understand more than being free-spirited is not in conflict with being who God called me to be. There is freedom in Jesus. Thanks for linking up with us at the #GatheringofFriendsLinkParty 7 pinned!
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There is freedom in Jesus Sylvia, I agree! I’m glad you enjoyed our time together 😀
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Jennifer, I love your thoughts here. It sounds like you and I are a lot alike. And I love how you bring out the fact that Jesus was free-spirited! Blessings to you! xo
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Thank you Gayl! I have noticed that we have a few things in common & are similar 😀
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