Part 4 of 4: Ending the Crazy Cycle (Why YOU Should do Freedom Session)

Remember the crazy cycle from Part 2?

Experience hurt --> withdraw --> hurt others

Over and over again.

If we could do something to stop this cycle and regain the ability to have full, healthy, trusting relationships, would we not want to do so? If we could deal with the pain in our lives so we didn’t have to turn to our drug(s) of choice, wouldn’t we want to? If we could have control over our words, actions and behaviors (with God’s help) wouldn’t we choose that over being a slave to our bad habits?

Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Satan’s whole purpose is to “steal and kill and destroy”. Steal from us. Kill us. Destroy us. But God sent His son Jesus to do just the opposite: to give us LIFE, and LIFE TO THE FULL.  Jesus is offering us the best life, the fullest life, the most abundant life.  It’s not just life after death; it’s life here on Earth too.

What is getting in the way from us grabbing hold of that abundant life?? We are trying to do it all on our own, without God’s help. WE are getting in the way of an abundant life.

Becoming a Christian (accepting that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for my sins and choosing to surrender my life to Him as my Lord) is not the end goal. It is only the beginning.

Jesus wants to do so much in our hearts and through our lives here on Earth, but we have to let Him. We have to surrender over and over again, allowing Him full access to every corner of our hearts and minds. If we choose to stay in the crazy cycle and avoid our pain, we are keeping those parts of our lives from God.

By doing things God’s way, I learned how to have peace with relationships in my life. Not every relationship is smooth; in fact some are painful and complicated. But God doesn’t ask us to have everything figured out. He asks us to forgive people for their parts, and take responsibility for our own parts. I can tell you first hand that it’s worth it doing things God’s way.

Moving forward from Freedom Session means that I still have work to do because I have ongoing relationships with people. And I will for the rest of my life! I will still struggle, hurt others, be hurt, and face pain. But I have the greatest helper, and I know who I am in Christ. I will face things as they come and trust God to help me in my (many) weaknesses.

Only God can help me to love and trust fully. People will always let us down, but God never will. That doesn’t mean that we decide to not trust people because they will inevitably hurt us. It means that we let God heal our hurts and put our trust in Him so we can show others unconditional love. 

I simply need to look at my kids to see the joy they have for life. Children are so happy, so unburdened by worry. Everything is exciting: eating their peas, helping fold the laundry, or seeing their mama after a nap.

When I look at them, I want what they have. I want a full life.

Jesus is waiting, arm outstretched, hand open, holding everything we need for a full life. All we need to do is take it; choose God’s way.

Will you choose it?

Part 3 of 4: The Path to Freedom (What is Freedom Session?)

Tornadoes are scary.

When I was little, I went through a phase where I was afraid of tornadoes. Growing up in North Bay, Ontario meant that the chances of a tornado touching down near me were very slim.  Yet, that didn’t stop me from having nightmares about tornadoes touching down and destroying my family and my home.

The culprit of this fear was the Wizard of Oz. We all know the story: Dorothy and her dog Toto are sucked up into the tornado (along with their house), and deposited in the Land of Oz.

We can imagine our pain and problems like a tornado that follows us around. However, the tornado doesn’t start off like a giant whirling, destructive funnel; it starts out as a cloud. It could be bitterness, holding a grudge, unforgiveness, or a small rejection that forms a cloud in our lives. We hold onto that pain and that anger or hurt and we keep it buried inside. As time goes on, the cloud grows bigger. Darker. Less manageable.

Life circumstances happen, bad relationships happen, people hurt us, and life throws us around. Soon, that cloud becomes a tornado, growing bigger and stronger as time goes on.

So we run. We avoid. We deflect. We move. We make a change. We will do anything to stay away from that scary tornado. But the tornado doesn’t leave us alone, and it doesn’t go away. We can try and put as much distance between the tornado, and ourselves as we can but it will never stop following us.

We feel frustrated and defeated that we can’t escape, and we are terrified because being engulfed by the tornado would be too much to bear. This is exactly where satan wants to keep us. Trapped.

Freedom Session is like the path THROUGH the tornado. It is the path through the pain, feeling the pain, and coming out on the other side leaving the pain where it is, for good.

The only way to make the tornado go away completely is to face it, to deal with all of the swirling mess.

How?

With the help of our God who is bigger than the tornado, by our side every second and every step.

Freedom Session is a 12-step program that takes you back to the beginning, when the hurt and pain started in your life. It helps you to get out of denial, remove the sunglasses, and see how much of a mess your life is without God. It helps you acknowledge the pain, feel the pain, and express the pain. It teaches you to label your feelings and take ownership of your part in everything that has happened to you.

Freedom Session leads you to forgive others and own your mistakes and shortcomings. It helps you to make things right with people so you can have the peace you so desperately long for. It helps you see yourself as God sees you, loved, cleansed and forgiven.

Facing the tornadoes in our lives seems terrifying, but I can tell you that God will be there. He will be with you as you prepare, and He will be with you in the middle of that tornado. It is not too much for Him, and it is not too much for you, with His help. As you pour out your heart to God, He will give you His peace that is stronger than your pain.

Freedom Session isn’t fun and isn’t easy, but it is WORTH IT. God’s way is the ONLY way to have peace.  

Freedom Session reflects God’s heart for us. The program is 20 weeks long (new and improved this year!), which allows God to slowly and gently take us down the path that leads to freedom. 

God isn’t mean, He’s not out to destroy us and humiliate us. God loves us and He is good. He has our best interest at heart, and the path He will take us on is the best way for us to live.