This week we’re looking at chapter 2 inWild and Free, We have become caged by our limitations. In this chapter Haley addresses head on the reality for many women: We feel like we are too much and not enough all at the same time. The result? Defensive living.

If we live defensively, we will miss the fullness and richness God has for us. We will miss opportunities to partner with God because we are so focused on ourselves we miss the needs of the world around us. This chapter resonated with me in several ways, and I’m eager to read what y’all thought as you read it.

We live in a threatening world. Just this weekend terrorists attacked London Bridge and yesterday Eric put our oldest on a plane for six weeks in France while I’m wrapping up this year’s study abroad in Italy. It is a scary world. But we don’t have to look to the international scene for fear to take root. There is so much happening in our own cities and towns that can cause us to puff up to be bigger than our fears or shrink into hard balls. Both are forms of self-protection. How do you respond when threatened by life? It could be the loss of a job. A spouse who is unfaithful or has left. It could be the betrayal of a friend, injustice you witnessed, a pain you can’t fix. The point is for each of us there are a thousand different points that remind us how firmly out of control we are.

Haley then goes on to list the many camouflages we wear:

• The Iron Woman
• The Achiever: I’ll prove my worth
• The Scared and Small: I won’t get shut down because I won’t step out.
• The Regretter: All I want is a do-over
• The Controller: if it’s not in my planner, it doesn’t exist
• The Challenger: I’ll let you know exactly what I think
• The Restless Wanderer: Running away
• The Busy Bee: running…all…the…time
• The Victim: I know why my life is hard
• The Perfectionist: I will do better

What did you think of her assertion that Biblical meekness is never weakness, but a harnessing of God-given strength? (see P 50). It certainly resonated with me and my understanding of the identity God’s given us as His daughters. If we’re to act justly, seek mercy, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8) that requires a willingness to speak and challenge.

Then she turns to ideas that hold women back from seeking true freedom. One is the expectations of others. Oh, this is a challenge for me. As a first-born, I am all about meeting expectations. I’ve had to grow and fight to get to a place where I could say NO without feeling like I was a failure. The next one also resonated: the quest for control. Again this addresses a strong part of who I am as does the fear of failure. My default when called for a meeting is to wonder what I did wrong…even though 99% of the time the meeting has nothing to do with that. Then there’s the shame cycle, the being mired in the past and not able to walk the freedom of forgiveness and restoration. Did any of these resonate with you? Or would you add something else to her list?

Finally she concludes chapter two with a reminder that we don’t have to losing our relationship or standing with God because He has the power to reconcile. However, I will add that when we continue to sin it breaks relationship because we’ve walked away. Yet God is there waiting to reconcile with us because He values relationship.

So what did you think? Did this chapter challenge you to think about Biblical freedom and where you are in relationship to it? Is there anyway that you were challenged to dig deeper to find more freedom in God?

Are you new to these posts? Join us as we do a study on Wild and Free and what it means to be the women God has called us to be. The ebook is on sale for $1.99. I now have all three versions of the book.

Assignment: for this week read chapter 3. 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.