Freedom has been mostly defined as the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. When we take a closer look at freedom, the definition alone may not qualify as a reasonable answer.
When I was a child living in my parents home, I remember having the feeling of not wanting to be restrained. I wanted to do as I pleased. It seemed like a problem for my parents. They were not in agreement with what I wanted to do. I simply could not understand why I could not do as I pleased. As I got older I quickly realized it was they, and not I with the greater wisdom. The boundaries that were set before me were for my good after all. I learned that even though it is in our power to act as we want and do as we please, without boundaries in place, we oftentimes do not achieve the results expected. My parents had already traveled the road before me, therefore they were the wiser.
The word of God says in Colossians 1:15, Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation. Colossians 1:14 (NLT) says, our freedom was purchased and our sins forgiven. This is contrary to our original definition of freedom. Galatians 5:13 (NLT) says, for you have been called to live in freedom my brothers and sisters, but don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. We understand freedom when we understand the truth. John 8:32 (NLT) says, and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free. Being rescued from being a slave to sin, we are taught how to live in a new type of freedom.
In Christ is found the freedom to choose wisely. We can indeed do what we want to do but note that Christ has set us free and given us the power to live as He has created us to live. He also has given us boundaries to live in that freedom. When boundaries are in place we can then live out our freedom the way Christ intended.
Today we live in a nation where freedom to do and to choose has affected the foundations we have grown to know and love. It can seem at times as if everyone is on a different page with a different perspective. It is our duty as believers to proclaim the gospel message. 1 Timothy 2:6 (NLT) says, He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. Freely we have received this wonderful message, so freely may we give it. It is our duty and our privilege to proclaim this message of freedom to the saving of ourselves, our family, and our nation.
HeARTune Creations Poetry, LLC., is owned by Pamela Gauthier. Pamela is a writer and poet, who has been writing for over 20 years. She formally started her poetry as a business in October of 2013.
Her poetry has been at several boutiques and stores in the Baton Rouge area. Pamela is a native Baton Rougean, who has lived here all of her life. She is the wife of Ronnie Gauthier, and the mother of four: Mrs. Jamie Baham, Mrs. Jessica Chatman, Joshua and Joseph Gauthier. She is also the proud Grandmother of Five.
Pamela started her writing journey by writing poetry as a way to uplift the spirits of those in nursing homes and the like. This is still the goal today, to touch hearts and lives wherever encouragement is needed.
a prison of injustice, don’t give up on your dreams!
A Prison of Injustice, Don’t Give up on your Dreams!
A message can be found in many a place.
I was wearing a certain bracelet, and when I opened it and turned it upside down it looked like open handcuffs. When I held it right side up it looked like an opened heart. (See picture)
I immediately began to think of the many prisons that are found in our world today. The church too, suffers attack from the chains that bind, whether that be social injustice, domestic injustice, racial injustice, criminal, family, the workplace, and so on.
The story of Joseph, beginning in Genesis 37, tells of the dreams that placed him although innocent as he was, in a prison of injustice. These plans were orchestrated by his brothers (family injustice), and shaped by a prison of their own jealousy. John 10:10 says, “The thief’s purpose is to steal, and kill, and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
Even though Joseph was shackled, with the chains of injustice, in an undeserved place, the Lord was with Joseph. He succeeded in everything he did while he served in the Egyptian home of his master. Genesis 39:2. As if this weren’t enough, Joseph was also unjustly lied on and accused of Infidelity by Potiphar’s wife, which landed him in deeper trouble. Even in this place, Joseph found favor with the prison warden, and once again Joseph was successful in everything that he did. Genesis 39:23.
It’s remarkable how in the hands of a timeless God, undeserved injustices can turn into undeserved privilege, a picture of God’s Grace, which we all are in need of. Romans 5:8. This freedom is found, when we realize this and surrender to a loving Father, allowing Him to make sense of it all. I Timothy 4:6 says, “He gave His life to purchase freedom for everyone at just the right time.”
God knows how to bring every injustice full circle. As I reflected on the bracelet I shared about at the beginning of this story, it started closed on my wrist, but inside it held a different meaning. I shared that when handcuffs are open, and are turned upward it resembles an open heart. This is the reflection of the love of God. His heart is always opened to us.
He loves us too much to leave our stories unfinished. What’s your story? Jesus paints a whole picture.
At the close of Joseph’s story, the same place where he’d been delivered over to death, was the same place where he received new life, the Resurrection. This is a perfect picture of the new birth. Out of his life of hopelessness, pain, rejection, and sorrow, came love, joy, restoration, forgiveness, healing, and a new beginning.
Joseph was now free to fulfill the dream that was inside of him all alone.His prison of injustice through God’s mercy resulted in redemptive victory.
Can we find anyone like this man so obviously filled with the Spirit of God?
Genesis 41:38. Dare to Dream!
HeARTune Creations Poetry, LLC., is owned by Pamela Gauthier. Pamela is a writer and poet, who has been writing for over 20 years. She formally started her poetry as a business in October of 2013.
Her poetry has been at several boutiques and stores in the Baton Rouge area. Pamela is a native Baton Rougean, who has lived here all of her life. She is the wife of Ronnie Gauthier, and the mother of four: Mrs. Jamie Baham, Mrs. Jessica Chatman, Joshua and Joseph Gauthier. She is also the proud Grandmother of Five.
Pamela started her writing journey by writing poetry as a way to uplift the spirits of those in nursing homes and the like. This is still the goal today, to touch hearts and lives wherever encouragement is needed
It comes from the tips of our tongues, but how do we know when it truly comes from the heart?
I’ve wrestled with my pen and pad while searching for what I felt would be the perfect article on “forgiveness.” After hundreds of crumpled sheets of paper and do-overs, I prayed a little harder and asked God to help me encourage you to let go of that burden that is weighing you down: hurt, anger, neglect, abuse, betrayal… any and all rush of emotions you are feeling because you are holding on to a disappointment that has shifted your gears.
We need the level of forgiveness that will allow us to see the lesson that was attached to that string of misfortune, the one that left us with a grief. It takes a prayerful heart and a level of spiritual maturity to reach the level of forgiveness that will allow us to find peace even in the midst of that particular storm.
Sometimes, it is easier to identify that grudge we are holding against someone else, but when was the last time you used the power of forgiveness towards yourself? There comes a time when occurrences become more familiar than not, and we find that we are drawing the same energy, patterns and results because we refuse to allow ourselves to eliminate the common denominator that very well may be holding us back: the guilt we hold against ourselves. Let it go. It is a new day and the stronghold that held you yesterday should hold less power over your life today.
Ephesians 4:31, 32:
Verse 31: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”
32) “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Forgiveness is the ultimate gift. Not only to others, but to yourself … and from God to us. If our heavenly Father sees fit to render forgiveness, let us follow closer to His teachings and strive to be more like Him day by day.
Latangela Fay is an award winning radio and media personality, author, songwriter, and production director at Cumulous Media. She is also a consultant and contributor to Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine.
If you’ve ever hurt a loved one or caused a friendship to fail, then you know the emotions that can surface when you ask for forgiveness.
Feelings like pain, sorrow and even the inner conflict between humility and pride are all too common. But the act of forgiveness can wash away those feelings, and when expressed with a contrite heart, it can ultimately help a relationship become whole again. Forgiveness also works the same way in a relationship with God.
As humans, we are imperfect, and when failings occur and our actions, or sometimes, our inability to act, pulls us away from God, asking for forgiveness can make the relationship whole again.
“We never lose our relationship with God. That’s important to understand. But what reconciliation (confession) does is bring you back to that peace (with God),” said Father Charlie Landry, pastor of St. Gabriel Catholic Church in St. Gabriel.
In the Catholic Church, confession or asking for forgiveness is one of the church’s seven sacraments, or outward signs of the faith. It involves privately admitting one’s sins to a priest and then receiving absolution (forgiveness) for those sins.
For non-Catholics, however, the Sacrament of Reconciliation can be confusing. Traditionally, it was received in a confessional or behind a screen, but today, Catholics have the option to meet face-to-face with a priest.
Father Landry explained that while confession involves a personal examination of self, the priest’s presence is important because it reflects the ecclesiastical community of the church. “As Christians and as Catholic Christians, the sense of what Jesus left us is that we are a community,” he said, pointing to the Apostle Paul, who said in 1 Corinthians that even though we are different parts, we represent one body of Christ.
And as one body, when one member of the community offends or hurts another, the entire community is affected, Father Landry said. “It’s like a sore on your arm. You know the sore is there, but your whole body feels the pain and is affected by it,” he said, adding that through reconciliation, everyone, or all parts of the body of Christ, can come back to peace and wholeness in the church.
Confessing to a priest also allows spiritual directing and can help bring understanding to what is causing a sin, said Father Landry.
“Have you ever tried to dig up a dandelion? If you don’t get the root, it will come back again and again. But to get that root, you have to dig deep. That’s where spiritual directing can help, so you can find out the cause (of certain behaviors) and how you can make a change,” he said.
Spiritual directing can also guide those penitents who struggle to forgive themselves.
But what if a person isn’t really sorry for hurting someone else? Is a contrite heart needed for confession and ultimately forgiveness? Father Landry said it is necessary, especially in any loving relationship. With true contrition, the bond strengthens, and even though humans may worry about being hurt again, with God’s forgiveness, there is no worry.
“I kind of look at confession as God cleaning the slate,” he said, adding that our free will may at times take us out of our relationship with God, but God is always waiting for us to reconcile. “The beauty of reconciliation is when you sin, you know you can come back and receive the grace of reconciliation and continue living the salvation of Jesus.”
Bishop Ronald Hardy, Sr. is the Pastor of Faith, Hope and Love Worship Centers of Baton Rouge and St. Francisville, Louisiana
Today, I want to inspire you to open your heart to experience t
he blessing of forgiveness. The
word blessing is defined as a beneficial thing for which one i
s grateful, something that brings
well-being. It is important to understand that forgiveness is
for our well-being. The Lord knows
what is best for us. This is why He commands us to forgive.
There are some key benefits or advantages to forgiveness.
So, why is this so important to
know? Because it may seem like you are coming up on the sh
ort end of the stick when you
operate in the spirit of forgiveness, but you are not.
Listen to what the Apostle Paul says to the church at Co
rinth in II Corinthians 2:10-11:
“
To
whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it
, for your
sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are
not ignorant of his devices.
”Today, I want to inspire you to open your heart to experience t
he blessing of forgiveness. The
word blessing is defined as a beneficial thing for which one i
s grateful, something that brings
well-being. It is important to understand that forgiveness is
for our well-being. The Lord knows
what is best for us. This is why He commands us to forgive.
There are some key benefits or advantages to forgiveness.
So, why is this so important to
know? Because it may seem like you are coming up on the sh
ort end of the stick when you
operate in the spirit of forgiveness, but you are not.
Listen to what the Apostle Paul says to the church at Co
rinth in II Corinthians 2:10-11:
“
To
whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it
, for your
sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are
not ignorant of his devices.
”Today, I want to inspire you to open your heart to experience t
he blessing of forgiveness. The
word blessing is defined as a beneficial thing for which one i
s grateful, something that brings
well-being. It is important to understand that forgiveness is
for our well-being. The Lord knows
what is best for us. This is why He commands us to forgive.
There are some key benefits or advantages to forgiveness.
So, why is this so important to
know? Because it may seem like you are coming up on the sh
ort end of the stick when you
operate in the spirit of forgiveness, but you are no
There are some key benefits or advantages to forgiveness. So, why is this so important to know? Because it may seem like you are coming up on the short end of the stick when you operate in the spirit of forgiveness, but you are not.
Listen to what the Apostle Paul says to the church at Corinth in II Corinthians 2:10-11: “To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
You see, unforgiveness allows Satan to get the advantage over us. However, forgiveness allows us to get the advantage over him. So, you should never feel that you are coming up on the short end of the stick when you operate in true forgiveness. So, let’s look at some of the Blessings of Forgiveness.
Ephesians 4:30-32 says, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Forgiveness allows us to experience freedom to properly move forward in life. You must forgive, so you can put the past behind you. As long as your past is before you, it will block you from properly seeing your future, and it will also hinder you from embracing your present.
You see, unforgiveness keeps us emotionally trapped, which can result in different types of unhealthy emotions like bitterness, rage or anger. Bitterness is a smoldering resentment or wrath that produces rage. Rage is the heat of passion in the moment of anger. Anger is a more internally deep form of hostility or clamor[1].You cannot allow yourself to stay trapped in these emotions, because it will rob you of God’s best for your life.Forgiveness is the key to getting free from these emotions. It is time for you to experience a freedom in your life through the Blessing of Forgiveness.
The second Blessing of Forgiveness is that it allows us to experience a new beginning. God’s open display of forgiveness through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, opens the door for a new beginning. Colossians 1:14 says, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” It is through His forgiveness that we are able to have a new-found relationship with Him.
Forgiveness will always leave the door open for a possible “new start” in your relationship with the individual that you are forgiving. It is the key to leaving the door open for a possibility of another chance with that individual. However, please remember that forgiveness does not mean that you should continue to put yourself in the same position to be mistreated again. Forgiveness means that you are not holding any resentment, hatred or wishing any ill will towards that particular individual.
Let me share a story with you about a new beginning. A young couple in my church was about to have their first child, which caused the wife to think about her husband’s situation with his father. The husband knew of his father, but he did not have his father’s last name. The wife wanted her husband to have his biological father’s last name, because she did not want their daughter to grow up carrying a last name that was not her true identity. So, she asked her husband to talk to his biological father about signing his birth certificate, so he could have the same last name as his biological father. This would allow him to pass his biological father’s last name to his daughter.
Initially, he did not want to ask his father, because his father was not involved in his life. She continued to be persistent, but he still refused to do it. Eventually, he got his hands on the book that I wrote, “Where is Daddy?” After reading the book, he shared with his wife that he would follow through with her request if his father would first read the book.
So, they sent the book to his father. His father’s wife called and told him that his father was brought to tears while he read the book. So, he and his father decided to meet. They both expressed their feelings, and because he was willing to forgive his father for not being there for him while he was growing up, they were able to experience a new beginning in their relationship. The name was changed on the husband’s birth certificate, which allowed their newborn child to carry her true identity. The father and son have a good relationship now, because of the Blessing of Forgiveness. As I stated earlier, forgiveness opens the door for a new beginning.
The last thing that I want to share is that forgiveness keeps us in good standing with our Heavenly Father. Matthew 6:14-15 says, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” So, if you have been struggling with forgiveness, it is time for you to forgive, so that you can walk in your new-found freedom.
You might be saying that the individual does not deserve my forgiveness. That is exactly right. Forgiveness is not something that is earned or deserved. Forgiveness is something freely given. I have been confronted with this many times in my life. It hasn’t always been easy, but I had to choose to forgive. Forgiveness is an act of your own will. If you can see the blessing in forgiveness, then maybe it will become a little easier to forgive.
[1] Clamor: the cry of strife or contention; out of control and, lastly, evil speaking in the form of slander.
Bishop Ronald Hardy, Sr. is the Pastor of Faith, Hope and Love Worship Centers of Baton Rouge and St. Francisville, Louisiana a multifaceted ministry touching the lives of many. He is a preacher, teacher, prophet and author. God has given Bishop Hardy a Ministry of Restoration.
Bishop Hardy has authored two books, one that will enrich marriage entitled, “A Loke Like This” and the other one “Where Is Daddy?” A book that brings restoration to the hearts of fathers and the fatherless. He also authors the Daily Word, a Monday-Friday devotional that helps people navigate through their daily life. This daily Word can be viewed on the face book page of Faith, Hope and Love Worship Center.
Bishop Hardy is married to Robbin Hardy and they have four living children and seven grandchildren.
