There’s something about the words wild and free. They capture my imagination. Though I live in a staid, rule-laced box, I want to live a life that runs off the path and into wildness. Just ask my husband about the Grand Canyon. And I long to live a life that is free of other’s expectations and the voices in my head.

As the authors put it in Wild and Free, women today often feel like we are too much at the same time that we are not enough.

That resonates with me.

If you’ve read Beyond Justice, you know that is the exact lie that Hayden is wrestling with. She has to be enough in her own strength, but she learns over the course of the book that she’s enough because of Christ. Intellectually, I know that. I know I can never be enough on my own. But in my heart? I’m not sure the truth is rooted in the deepest places of my soul. I constantly view life through the lens that I fall short, I’m letting people down, I’m not enough.

The world around us emphasizes that. My house? Either not big enough or too big. My clothes? Either too good or not the right brand. What I read? Either the right books or the wrong ones. And it all depends on who I’m with. The right book in one group, is the completely wrong book in another. I homeschool. That’s the right choice or the wrong choice. I refuse to unschool. The right or the wrong choice. It all depends on who I’m with. I work outside the home. Right or wrong choice.

It can be absolutely paralyzing.

Yet as Jess writes in chapter one, this is not the life God has for us. He wants us to be as free as Eve was in the garden or as the wild horses in the Outer Banks.

We have forgotten our identity.

We are Ambassadors not Orphans.

We are treasures.

We are called to speak truth to a world that so desperately needs it.

Today I encourage you to really think about who you are. What has God called you to do? What identities have you taken on that aren’t yours to bear? Where have you tamed yourself, when God wants you to run wild with Him?

Assignment: for this week read chapters 1 and 2. They’re pretty short. But don’t get caught up and frustrated if you can’t do that. Read as you can. I’ll post each week on Thursday with thoughts on that week’s chapter.

Want to join the bookstudy? Wild and Free is on ebook sale for $1.99. It’s a great time to snag it and read it on the run. You can add the audio for a few dollars through Amazon. Then let me know through this form that you’re joining in, and I’ll keep you updated on posts.

More fun:

Looking for a book to read this week? Be sure to check out Canteen Dreams. It’s the first in my WWII series, and free in all ebook formats. You can add whisper sync for $1.99. It’s a great time to try my WWII books. 

Also if you plan to read this summer, check out the bookclub here. It’s easy and fun to join and there are great prizes from authors like me 🙂