FREE*dom!

To be FREE, I mean really FREE.....means not caring what others think about me, means not worrying about things I have no control over. To be FREE = PEACE, to be at peace with myself and the world around me.

Do you ever feel like we are living in purgatory? That we will never be completely at peace until we are called home to heaven? In heaven, we will be free from our bodies and all the aches, pains and heartaches that we endure as human beings. Do you ever think that being human is a test of our strength, courage, and character?

Our life is a book, it's "Our Story". We are all faced with challenges, how we deal with those challenges is part of our story. We are all blessed with many gifts, how we treat those gifts and what we do with them is part of our story. Our stories are filled with many experiences, good, bad, happy, sad......because of these experiences we all have accumulated baggage that we carry around with us on a daily basis. We don't realize it, but the baggage weighs us down and holds us back from living a life of FREE*dom!

We started a series at church last week called FREE*dom, part of the series is participating in a small group where you identify and explore the things that hold you back from being FREE! ...You can choose how much or how little you want to share, it's your choice, no pressures. Side note- this type of group is right up my alley, love to be involved in a small support group. Those of you that know my husband, know that this type of group is not up his alley---I asked him if he would consider being a part of this experience and how much it would mean to me if he would try it----and guess what? He is doing it with me---thanks honey, I love you :)....

TOTAL FREEDOM MEANS LIVING COMPLETELY, FEARLESSLY, PASSIONATELY AND JOYFULLY--REGARDLESS OF YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES, NOT BECASUE OF THEM.

I'm going to share with you my experience through this 6 week series, I'm going to remove the mask and share part of my baggage. Not sure how deep in the bag that I will go, time will tell!

There is a book that accompanies the series..... Part 1 of the series is identifying what things hold you back from being FREE through a self assessment. This is what I identified......
Step 1
I had to choose three statements that I circled in the self assessment that stood out to me the most. I picked the following statements:
-Sometimes I lie to keep the peace
-I crave attention
-You really should ask for help (this is a statement that has been said about me or to me) I had to write why this statement was said about (or) to me and I wrote "I try to do it all, because I know it will be done my way and because I derive some satisfaction out of piling too many things on to my plate, so that it overflows.

Step 2
Next, I had to select the statement that resonated with me the most. I picked- You should ask for help. The reason I picked this "thing" is because it is an area that I continually struggle with....I fall in to the "pile too much on my plate" hole way too much!!

Step 3
Next, I had to figure out why I picked this statement. This is what I came up with..
-**I like things done the way I envision them
-I don't want to be a burden to others
-I see myself as weak if I ask for help
-I want others to think I'm strong
These "why" statements make me realize I might believe, that my self worth is centered around what others think of me. This belief statement takes me one step farther when I add the other 2 responses that I picked into the mix......I crave attention and sometimes I lie to keep the peace. Go to step 4 to see what I realize!

**This "why" statement has to do with control and that is a whole other subject that I will write about at another time!

Step 4
I realize I need to FREE myself of being a People Pleaser! My journey through the next 5 weeks will be focused on freeing my self of the "People Pleaser" baggage.

If you want to learn more about the FREE*dom Journey, I will be posting the website on my blog in the next couple of days........so, be looking for the info!

When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others."
- Peace Pilgrim