Day 6: Liberated

For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in you. – Psalms 84:11‭-‬12 NLT

Do you like stretching your limbs and appreciating the beautiful sky by taking a walk around the nearest park or around your neighborhood?

Walking is good for you.

According to this article by Reader’s Digest, walking does not only benefit you physically but also lifts your mood, allows you to be creative, and reduces stress.

I don’t know about you, but this is what walking does to me and my husband.

Since we live in a quiet and not-so-busy neighborhood, we love walking around in the afternoon to unwind, talk, and change the view.

(Yes to “change the view” since we both work at home.)

Walking opens my mind and allows me to look beyond myself as I reflect on my circumstances and my life.

Today, while walking on the way to the food stall where we buy our meals, I couldn’t help but share with him the “freedom” I feel in my heart as we stride along side by side as husband and wife.

Yes, that’s the keyword: as husband and wife.

I do love my husband. Even before we tied the knot.

But even with my great love for him, since it’s outside of marriage, I have my limitations.

I don’t want to cause him to stumble in his walk with the Lord just because I was too sweet, too affectionate, or too loving.

There’s nothing wrong with all these, but if it causes him to stumble, that love becomes selfish and inappropriate.

Now that we’re married, I can literally feel the lightness on my chest as I freely express and let the love inside me overflow.

In the past, I could feel a “barrier” in front of me that limited my actions.

Now that I’m writing about this, I realized that it’s not at all bad to have these limitations, this barricade. (I thought about this just now!? Really!?)

Why is it not bad?

Because having these is one of the ways to keep ourselves pure and prevent us from sinning against the Lord.

Wait a moment…

Before you close this window as you think that I’m getting all “Hallelujah!” and stuff, here’s a trivia for you…

Saying that I’ve had my fair share of foolishness is an understatement.

I was foolish and stupid for a very looong time.

The foolishness in my youth led me to think foolish thoughts that led me to do foolish things. I suffer the consequences of my foolish acts… Yes, until the moment of this writing.

(So, single and unmarried ones out there, please be careful with the decisions you make. It’s going to impact not just you, but also YOUR CHILDREN and YOUR FUTURE.)

Because the Lord loves me so (Thank You, Jesus, for loving me so!), He convicted me about staying pure. And I thank God for helping me obey His will.

Was it easy?

I failed God sooooo MANY TIMES!

But I thank the Lord for His unfailing love that He never gave up on me.

He’d pick me up every time I’d fall.

He’d encourage me and give me another chance.

For many of us, it’s so hard to relate to having a loving and patient father. The kind that’s involved and interested enough in our lives.

And I can’t blame you.

If you never had a good relationship with your dad, it really is difficult to believe that there is a good Father up there watching over us, loving us, caring for us.

Correcting my distorted image of God is one of the ways that this program, Glorious Hope, has helped me as I sought healing of my crushed and broken heart.

If you’re like me and you’re tired and it feels like you’re reaching the end of your rope, please, please reach out and seek help. There are people who are available to listen to you and be there for you.

How else has Glorious Hope liberated me?

From pointing fingers to others (but me) every time something messed up is going on in my life. Now, I take responsibility for my selfishness, my pride, and my disrespect — even if it was unintentional.

I thank God that my husband also went through this program before we got married. So, we’re also accountability partners and we help process each other.

As it turns out, my being married, just like participating at Glorious Hope, has liberated me from so many things.

In today’s society, their notion of “liberty” is having premarital sex, “compatibility testing” your partner by living together before marriage, or disconnecting from your parents (or family) to be a “successful” career person.

Contrary to what society thinks, these things do more harm than good.

I even had physical and intimacy issues as a result of being in the wrong relationships with the wrong people.

Going against God’s design did not “liberate” me as the society claims it would, but it caused me to be trapped and imprisoned in my own twisted desires.

I felt shame!

Forgiving myself was NOT EASY.

But it’s also NOT IMPOSSIBLE with me surrendering my heart to God and with Him mending the pieces of my broken heart together.

So, how did marriage liberate me?

Now, I can freely show affection to my husband.

I can call him “my husband” (because he is) compared to calling him “my beloved” from before we were married.

Even our intimacy feels different. Now, there’s no guilt and shame but love and joy. Sexual intimacy is a gift from God to married couples (man and woman becoming one flesh).

And while some people may think that our wedding only made things “official,” they couldn’t be more wrong.

Even though we were living under one roof, I thank the Lord for the self-control He has given my now-husband and me as we waited for His perfect time to consummate our marriage. (We failed in the past but the Lord never gave up on us. Thank You, Lord!)

I praise and thank God for this liberty He has given me to worship Him as a wife as I honor Him by honoring my husband.

As I worship Him and pray not only for my children but also, and most especially, for my husband whom God uses to lead our family and be God’s representative in the lives of our children.

The simplest of things — like walking together — could make a tremendous difference in your health and relationships.

Add good memories to your marriage. Keep growing together as you grow closer to your spouse. Look forward to a lifetime of discovering each other.

If you’re single, take this opportunity to know your special someone more in every stride as you continually seek the Lord in your life and your relationships.

Truly, the Lord withholds no good thing to those who do what is right.

What about you?

What is that one activity you like doing with your special someone? We’d love to know your story. Share them on the comment section below.

❤️ Mama Sel