October 1, 2010 7:17 AM
Just As I Am - Jesus, freedom and women
For 39 years, I was a subject of the world - first as a hurting little girl and then a woman determined to live free. But my concept of freedom was so shallow: thinking I was breaking boundaries through drugs, sex and rock 'n roll. Those things did not set me free, but made me a slave. And in my enslavement, I hurt many people - becoming part of the vicious cycle of hurt and abuse under the illusion of "freedom."
At the time I thought Christianity was stupid. But since I grew up without it, I was judging something I knew nothing of - also too crippled with the elite liberal in-crowd mindset to give anything outside my limited beliefs a fair shake.
I became a Christian not through persuasion, but because I had come to the end of myself. By the time I came to Jesus, I looked okay on the outside, but on the inside I was the world-battered woman reaching to touch his feet (2:55 in the video clip above). I had tried everything else, and nothing worked. I was ready to surrender.
With Jesus, there is always the future. He forgave the disciple who betrayed him and even made him head of his Church. He replaced fanatic religious systems that would stone a woman to death for transgressions with teachings of forgiveness and love.
Feminists have it all wrong when they attack Christianity as patriarchal. It is not. Through Jesus and His Holy Mother Mary, God elevated woman to a place of dignity and worth. He also lifted the status of children. And He certainly taught us to love those of different abilities.
Jesus left us a religion of kindness and compassion. Today's politicians cheapen that to justify over-control and over-taxation - just as religious fakirs exploit verses about abundant life to justify greed. But the true message of Jesus is still there and challenges us daily - how can I give back the compassion that God has shown to me through sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for my sins, and in so doing to teach me how to live?
When I think about the years spent chasing freedom, I see a woman steadily emptying herself of anything worth giving. Jesus gave me a second chance. Today I come to Jesus, still the world-battered woman, still needing and gratefully receiving forgiveness and love, grateful for another day to try to give back just a little of what has been so freely given to me.
Posted in Inspiration | Permalink
Comments
God bless you Barbara. I was really hurting today and found so much peace and hope in that video. I've always enjoyed dropping by your site, but today....wow. Thanks again.
Posted by: luckymama | October 1, 2010 2:10 PM
