The way I see it
I need to say two things. First, Christ is magnificent! Second, today and in my world, the magnificence of Christ is unlocking my ability to see.
It is showing me that the fields in front of me “are ripe for harvest.” (John 4:35) The people in front of me may not believe the same things I believe, they may not have the same skin colour that I have, or they may speak a different language than the one that I speak, but each human face is the face of one created in the image of God. Every soul on the surface of God’s created Earth has extreme value. God has a plan for them. They were made by him and for him. No one is outside his plan – no one.
Freedom in Christ enables me to see this. It unlocks my ability to perceive people and events in a whole new light. In freedom I have entered into a way of life that is animated by the radiance and the grandness of Christ, along with the ability to see the radiance and the grandness of Christ in and around every person, and in and around every situation.
It empowers me to see the face of Christ whenever I look into a human face, so that every crisis is an opportunity, every dark alley is a place of light, and every end of the road is a new landscape.
So, I am free to be real.
The reality is that life can be arduous at times. I have experienced the stress of job loss and economic failure. I have lost people I love to cancer and suicide. I have watched my children make bad choices. Yet, while I have been beaten down on many fronts, the reality of serving Christ is that there are times that, even though I am “struck down,” (2 Cor. 4:9) I am never defeated. There is always a way out. There is always a silver lining. There is always strength to endure.
The reality is also that I will not always get it right. There will be times when I take wrong turns, make wrong decisions, or act out of wrong motives. Yet, the freedom I have in Christ ensures that I never need to be anxious over not getting it right all the time. I am free and confident to step out – always. Even if I do mess up, the thrill of the experience far outweighs the peace and quiet of staying put.
I am free to be real because, in Christ, I will always be a winner. I am free to be real, because I will always have access to the all-sufficient persona and power of my Father God.
This is true freedom.