faith unfaded

As part of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, members of the Cherokee, Muscogee, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations were forcibly removed from their ancestral homelands in the Southeastern United States to newly designated Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Thousands died along this journey known as The Trail of Tears.

I see similarities in our journey away from the cross. 

Like the rich young ruler in Matthew 19 who went away sorrowful because he would not give up his wealth, we also depart from the cross sorrowful when we refuse to lay our burdens down. We tote our guilt and shame just as the man kept hold of his possessions. 

But when we lay it all down and experience freedom, our light within shines brighter. Satan hates nothing more than our light. He will stop at nothing to extinguish it. 

And he often uses those close to us. 

What if you’ve forgiven yourself for hurts you’ve caused others but they haven’t forgiven you? Chances are, seeing you happy and free only increases their pain and they may even accuse you of not being sorry. The truth is, you fight constantly with regret and may have even begged God for a miraculous back-in-time redo. I know I have!

But we can’t stay under condemnation forever. When we lay something down at the cross, we ask God to forgive us and we forgive ourselves. If possible, we ask the person we’d wronged to forgive us too. But what if they don’t? What then? Do we continue to beat ourselves up? Do we seek God’s mercy only on their timetable? Must they be okay with us before we can be okay with God? Heaven forbid. 

We cannot go back in bondage because someone else is still in bondage. Picture a man in chains. How can you help him get free if the first thing you do is chain yourself to him?

But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? Galatians 4:9

To me this verse used to be about addiction. Now it is about picking up guilt and regret and unforgiveness again. Why would I go through hell to get rid of it- in my heart, mind, and soul- only to pick it up again? I won’t do it. I fought too hard for this freedom. 

Nobody can march you back to the cross and make you pick up what you’ve already given to God. Only you can do that. And why would you want to? 

It’s not the Trail of Tears…don’t let Satan lead you down a path that is only going to lead to bondage. Jesus died on a cross so that we would be free. 

(First published in the July issue of 318 Central magazine)