DAY 6
Devotional by Michele Masteller
For the last several years my little girl has loved the Disney movie “Tangled.” The story is of Rapunzel, a princess who was kidnapped as an infant and raised to think she was really someone else. She was kept in a tower and never permitted to leave. She was made to believe the life she lived was her reality. As she grew, she dreamed of what life outside the tower walls could be like. She imagined that the lanterns she saw floating in the sky from her tower window on her birthday each year were meant just for her. Through a series of events, she was given the opportunity to sneak away from the tower while her kidnapper was away. With each experience and encounter, the seed of truth that had taken root in her heart began to grow. Her whole life had been a mirage. She eventually would realize that she was the lost princess and that her life was meant to be lived in a palace, not a tower. Rapunzel returned to the castle and was reunited with her parents taking her rightful place as a princess. The truth was her key to freedom. It is a beautiful story that reminds me of our story!
The Bible says in John 8:32 “For if you embrace the truth, it will release more freedom into your lives.” (TPT)
I feel that as women, we have a deep desire to be fully known and deeply loved. We read books and watch Hallmark movies. The best love stories are when there’s a true connection. When we feel loved in spite of who we are we change our thinking and see ourselves differently. What you believe about yourself determines how you live.
We also have a need to know how we fit in and where our place is in the story. Perhaps this is why we see so many commercials and even television shows about finding out where you came from. DNA tests and family trees are becoming more common and readily available. It’s as easy as running to Target and grabbing a DNA kit as you pick up your other essentials or ordering one online. I think it’s important to appreciate our past and the blood, sweat, and tears that went into who you are in this place at this time. However, your past and your make up do not define you. They may have left an imprint on you, but God has so much more, and He isn’t finished yet!
When Rapunzel recognized that her father was the king, her whole life shifted, her thinking enlarged, and perspective changed. She no longer believed the lies that were running through her mind. She was no longer contained or confined. She finally knew the truth of who she was! That truth redefined who she was and how she saw herself. The truth was her freedom.
John 8:36 says, “ So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” (NLT)
Today I encourage you to look beyond the walls of your tower. Escape the lies and run to your Heavenly Father and His amazing grace. See yourself the way He sees you. He sees you as precious, treasured, and beautiful. He sees where you’ve been lied to and broken and desires to heal and restore you.
There is freedom in knowing to whom you belong. There is freedom when you release all of who you are to all of who He is. There is freedom in holding on to each of His promises and believing they will come to pass in your life. There is freedom in locking the door to that tower – your old life and way of thinking – and walking away from that bondage forever.
Galatians 5:1 “Let me be clear, the Anointed One has set us free—not partially, but completely and wonderfully free! We must always cherish this truth and stubbornly refuse to go back into the bondage of our past.” (TPT)
Today, make the decision to embrace the full freedom and life only found in Jesus!