Free by Your Suffering

Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)

Oh, Jesus. How You love me and how overwhelmed I am with love for You.

I think about how You gave Your life for me- for my freedom. Freedom from darkness, freedom from the bondage of sin, freedom from guilt and shame- You took it all. It was everything unholy and impure in me that killed You, that was nailed with You to hang on the cross that day. You took that from me. You set me free.

It’s easy for me to overlook the suffering- Words on a page-to assume that Your pain was less because You are God. You didn’t just lay down and die for me- You allowed Your holy body to be murdered, beaten, destroyed. Yes, You overcame death- but in Your fully human existence, in Your flesh- the flesh You chose to wear, You felt. Perhaps You felt more genuinely than any of us. You cried, You were compassionate, You loved, Your heart ached, and on that day, You felt unbearable pain. Your skin tore, Your body bled, You suffered. You chose to endure it. For me. For us.

I came into this world separate from You. Before I knew You- I walked in darkness, in my own pain, in torment. When I accepted You into my life, I accepted the gift of what You did for me over 2000 years ago. You set me free that day- You knew me that day. As You hung on the cross, You thought of me. I can almost envision You, holy eyes peering through a battered face, whispering “Kastin, You are free now.”

Thank You, Jesus.

I think- “little old me”…. You say, “beautiful you”. You speak truth into my life, where deceptive lies used to lurk. Your light moves out the darkness. I am like a wounded bird whose wings have healed- so long without flight that I still believe I can’t. I need to step out in faith, trusting Your truth, and believing in the reality of my freedom. I can fly now.

Lord, thank You for Your sacrifice. You love me with an inconceivable love. When You gave Your life, You gave me the promise of freedom. Let me hold fast to that promise, let it penetrate every bone and muscle in my body, every thought in my mind, every sensation in my heart- let me be filled with the belief and the knowledge that I am free. I can live the life I was intended to live. By accepting Your gift, I honor You.