Friends stopped by our home. Their fearless toddler loved our bulldog and enjoyed playing with him. Their two young girls felt shy and nervous around the dog. Until Anthony put him in the other room, the girls felt stressed and fearful.
As I thought about it, I noticed how free the toddler was. He didn’t fear. He moved freely around the room exploring, discovering, experiencing. The girls bound themselves to the sides of their parents. They worried about potential outcomes. They feared the unknown and the unusual. Their fear imprisoned them so couldn’t enjoy themselves in the moment.
Our friendly dog, on the other hand, freaks out about new household items. His fear imprisons him until he’s confident that he’s subdued the mop, chair, or blender.
“And they are free to choose liberty…or to choose captivity.” I thought about how often I’ve bound myself by fears, insecurities, and the unknown. In those situations, I bind myself because of some imagined potential outcome rather than actual reality ☺.
Because my reality is limited and skewed, viewing things as the Savior does is so important. Then I can see and know real truth, and “the truth shall make you free.”
The Savior said “I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed.” But even if I know the Savior can make me free, I still have the opportunity to choose. I can choose fear and sin and live in bondage accordingly, or I can live at the edge of my comfort zone in the promise that God will guide my path.
Paul challenged the Galatians, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” When I find I’m bound again, what are my options?
The first step is to recognize what’s binding me. Is it fear? Is it sin? If it’s fear, I can choose to face it & think over realistic outcomes & steps to overcome the fear–i.e. realize that the furniture won’t attack, or the dog won’t bite and neither will the home and/or visiting teaching families.
If I’m bound by sin, I can follow the steps of repentance and apply the Savior’s atonement. I recognize I’ve done something wrong. I need to actually feel sorry for doing it, or trying to change will be futile. I need to confess my wrong doing and ask for forgiveness from God and the person I’ve wronged. I need to make restitution, if possible, to repair any damage done. As I feel the Savior’s Atonement at work and feel of God’s forgiveness and strength, I pray for His enabling power to help me resolve to do better and think of ways to react to a similar issue in the future or decide how to avoid the issue altogether. I also call upon the Atonement to help me forgive myself.
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Despite the bondage’s strength, the Savior PROMISES that He will help us overcome EVERYTHING that binds us. His is true and perfect liberty. He knows us—our fears, sins, and weaknesses. His Grace can give us the strength to embrace freedom and choose Joy, Liberty, and Eternal Life, which is God’s purpose for our lives.
Now is the perfect time to identify the chains that bind us, seek the Savior’s help in shaking them off, and thus choose joy and liberty. What beautiful alternatives! What amazing Grace!
May God bless you in your successes and struggles and choices to feel and choose freedom!
I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.
