Hi friends and Happy Friday! I can’t believe we are ending the month of July! Didn’t this month fly by so quickly?
I have been really challenged by “Free of Me.” I’ve sat there, book down, just pondering how I can be so self-focused and wondering how I can change. I’m so glad Sharon included this fourth section on how we can be free of “me.” What were your thoughts reading this section? Let me know your thoughts and also your answers to this week’s discussion questions. Here they are:
Part Four: How to Be Free of Me
*Freedom comes from healing. How do we work on ourselves while not becoming completely self-focused?
Chapter 10: Praise
*Sharon says that praise is expressing joy. Do you find that you are praising other things more than you are praising God? What would it look like in your daily life to praise God?
*Our thoughts can become like a runaway train. How do we “stop the train”?
Chapter 11: People
*“The bend of redemption is outward” (pg. 147). How can we turn our pain and insecurities into love for others?
*“When we are so distracted with ourselves and our own lives, we never get to the work of actually living out our faith” (pg. 151). How do these distractions keep us from following Jesus? In other words, if our eyes are not on Him, how do we follow where He leads?
Chapter 12: Purpose
*The author discusses how so many women struggle with feeling selfish as they pursue their calling and purpose. Have you felt this struggle in your own life? How do you deal with this?
*How does knowing our purpose provide freedom for us?
Chapter 13: Passion
*Sharon discusses a season of her life where she felt her gifts had been buried but had actually been planted. Looking back on your life, do you feel you had a similar season? What did you learn during that season?
*“There is no deliverance and no resurrection until we realize our insecurities contain both truth and lies. Insecurities feed us lies about ourselves and our worth, but they also reveal truth about our idols, our misplaced focus, or our misplaced priorities” (pg. 174). What idols might your insecurities be trying to reveal to you?
Chapter 14: Forgetting Yourself Without Neglecting Yourself
*If you struggle with the martyr complex, what do you think might be fueling it?
*How do we reconcile being our true selves with what the world tells us and what Jesus tells us?
Scripture of the Week
Philippians 2:5-11
1 Peter 4:10
Psalm 16:8
Prayer of the Week
Father God, You are a loving God who cares for His people. We long to have our eyes fixed on You and to follow where You lead us. It’s difficult to live out our faith and go where You lead when we turn our eyes and focus onto ourselves! Would You help us to lay down that burden? We desire the freedom only You can bring and we pray that You would help us to live free of ourselves. Help us to surrender so that we might truly live a life of calling, purpose, passion, love, and freedom. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
For Next Month
*Check out THIS POST for all the details for August!
**And don’t forget to check out THIS POST for the July freebie!**
This book has been challenging for me to read because I have realized just how self-absorbed I have been (and still am)!
For me, finding the balance between working on myself and not becoming completely self-focused hinges on my attitude. When I step back and ask “why” I’m doing something, it’s very easy for me to see (though I don’t like to admit it!) if it’s self-serving or not. Furthermore, it’s asking “how” the thing I’m doing is serving me or others – essentially, is it truly helpful? Too often, I’m doing all the things to make myself feel better and avoiding the things that really need attention! 🤪
I love how Sharon called out praise as an expression of joy. With my “get things done” mentality, I honestly rarely think about praising God in the midst of my to-do lists and instead give myself my own gold star (selfishly of course, because I’m constantly thinking, “Who else is gonna give me one!?” 🙃) If I take time to praise God in the midst of the daily grind, I believe I’ll be less concerned with my lists, but also be less consumed with my struggles…and more grateful for my life!
Because I’m not a very analytical person, I don’t have many runaway train thoughts; however, it is easy for me to get derailed by my thoughts to the point where sometimes I need to “start the train” again! 😂 I can get overwhelmed and start thinking things will never change so what’s the point in trying? Laziness starts to slip in and suddenly I’m not doing what needs to be done, or worse, being who I need to be. In these moments, I have to remind myself of God’s truth and His promises – and stop looking into the mirror of self-pity.
“The bend of redemption is outward” (Page 147). This is such a beautiful, powerful quote! As much as we think turning inward redeems us, it’s definitely the opposite. Right now, I’ve been trying to let God change my attitude and breathe life into my pain and insecurities related to family dynamics. It’s been a struggle loving my boys as they navigate school, as I’ve previously shared. Some days it’s as though we’re going backwards and it’s so frustrating. And yet, God’s love can work miracles and I can give His love even when it’s hard to give mine. 😊 Because it’s not about me anyway as I’m continually reminding myself. “When we are so distracted with ourselves and our own lives, we never get to the work of actually living out our faith” (Page 151).
It’s so refreshing to hear Sharon talk about the struggle with feeling selfish in regards to pursuing one’s calling and purpose. I think feelings of inadequacy flood women in particular all the time, so it’s so important to remember God has called each of us to a certain purpose and how valuable it is to actually partake in it! Currently I’m in a season of discovering how to go “deeper” in my calling. Mainly it’s about being intentional to seek God regarding what He has called me to do and getting His direction on how to live that out.
I get annoyed when I feel like I don’t know what I’m doing. I also get frustrated when I see people struggle, but not necessarily in a loving way. 🙃 I generally project my judgment onto them and provide my solution (mostly this only happens in my mind, but it’s been known to come out of my mouth at times too 🤪). I’ve had to remind myself to “stay in my lane” and be gracious, as hard as it may be, because I don’t have it altogether.
It was very encouraging when Sharon talked about the seasons where her gifts felt buried. I don’t garden, take care of plants, or have any type of a green thumb – and I don’t mind that I’m not interested in those things. However, I think it’s partly because I’m impatient and don’t feel I have time to wait around – or should wait for that matter – for progress. 😆
But growth takes time and it’s during the pruning and waiting where God often works in me the most. “There is no deliverance and no resurrection until we realize our insecurities contain both truth and lies. Insecurities feed us lies about ourselves and our worth, but they also reveal truth about our idols, our misplaced focus, or our misplaced priorities” (Page 174).
The truth is I’m more interested in myself than I care to admit. The lie that the enemy and culture relay is that this is ok. But it’s not. And that’s why God’s grace is so amazing and His purpose is so freeing. I don’t have to worry about me because God’s already got my plan laid out – I just have to let Him lead me and walk in it. Yes, it will be an adventure. I won’t know all the steps in advance and I’ll have to walk by faith more than sight. But it will be – is – worth it because He knows where I’m going and is coming with me. All. The. Way.