APAD day 2: bound

What is it that has bound you?

I almost always have my hair bound in some way, be it a ponytail, bun, braid(s), etc. 

Even if I wear it down, there's always something holding it back, bit it a headband or mini-ponytail.  Many people comment when my hair is down, shocked at how long it is.  

I tell myself that I can't handle having my hair down or having it get in the way.  It needs to stay back, trapped, corralled, cast aside so more important things can happen.

The way I wear my hair is part of who I am.  I'm much more of a ponytail, jeans, and t-shirt kind of person.

I'm not big on beauty and fashion (for example, I never wear makeup), but I do care about my hair.  Sometimes.  

Things like physical beauty and keeping up appearances can hold us hostage. 

Expectations of perfection and excellence hold us back from our full potential. 

I am SO guilty of falling into this trap, especially right now in this time of high-stress and concert prep.  So many negative thoughts are holding me back, binding me in a vicious cycle of can'ts.

Then I remember,

Jesus came to earth to set us free, 

to release us from being bound to things like sin, struggle, and death.

We no longer need to feel trapped in the overwhelmed-ness of this life.  

We are not cast aside and kept out of the way; Jesus values us for exactly who we are.

I realize that all this is easy to say and MUCH harder to internalize and believe, but it's the hope of Jesus that we can hold onto in times where we feel most bound and bogged down.

What is binding you in your life? 

What do you need to let go of?

What is Jesus setting you free from?

Maybe I need to let my hair down.

a thought from POTSC (people of the second chance)
Stop comparing yourself with everyone else. Make peace with who God made you to be. You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).


also, RethinkChurch's take on 'bound'