Leaving my chains behind...

This weekend I had the privalege of going to two amazing concerts.  Mercy Me was playing before the Ranger's game and Aaron's dad was able to get us tickets from work.  It was an outside concert and it was SO hot, but it was wonderful.  Then Angie (Aaron's sister) and her best friend, Kristen, and I went to see Shane & Shane who were playing at a benefit concert.  I have to say, if ever in your life you get the opportunity to see Shane & Shane live, you need to do it.  They are amazing.  I've been to a lot of good concerts before, but they are by far the best live... I would say Warren Barfield comes in second.  If you're not familiar with Shane & Shane, look them up on Imeem.  They are so musically talented... such a blessing.  And they are so humble and worshipful in their music.

At the Shane & Shane concert we sat next to a large group of Asian students...  I think they were Korean.  But they knew every single song and they had the most beautiful voices.  It made the concert even better... You know how it usually is when the people around you think they have beautiful voices, so they think if they sing as loud as possible they will enhance the concert...  but what they really end up doing is driving everyone around them nuts?  Well, that was not the case with these kids..  They were so passionate and I loved listening to them.  It made me think of how fortunate we are to live in this country and be able to worship freely.

At the end of the Mercy Me concert they were singing a song about our chains being broken.  And then they had the audience sing with them, repeating, "My chains are broken, my chains are broken."  It was very powerful for me because lately I have been realizing that I have been in bondage for a long time to the opinions of others.  I am so insecure and care so much about what people think of me.  I've lived in these 'chains' for so long that it's like I don't know how to live without them.  When we sang that--"my chains are broken," I realized that what I am doing is sitting with my wrists in the chains that I was bound to, and I'm making myself stay there, even though I don't have to because God has broken them for me!  I don't have to live always being concerned about what people are thinking of me.  It was a revolutionary moment for me... but still, I struggle.  I think that I continue to stay there because, (it's sick I know), it's where I feel comfortable.  It's familiar, predictable, 'safe'.  I know that this is a huge sin in my life and it will take time for God to convince me that I'm free of it.  But praise God that "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36.  I have hope! 

Lord, I know in my mind and in my heart that I'm free, now change my habits to reflect the freedom I have in You.