I recently read an article about a study done on the the alarming rise in anxiety and depression in the young people of America. They asked people to share their perspective on their fate by asking them to share how they resonated with certain phrases. These phrases sounded something like this:
- (a) I have found that what is going to happen will happen.
- (b) Trusting to fate has never turned out as well for me as making a decision to take a definite course of action.
The study found that people who resonated strongly with statement A had a higher degree of anxiety and depression in life. Those that resonated with statement B had a much lower rate.
Galatians 5:1 says “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Christ has come to set us free from the “fate” of sin and darkness. He’s essentially made it possible for us to CHOOSE our fate and the future we long to live in. Even with this expensive freedom that has been given to us, we often find ways to minimize it, give it away, reduce it or ignore it all together. While we like the idea of being set free, we dislike the idea that we might be responsible for the consequences that come our way.
What if we decided today that we were going to own our freedom and our future? That we would honor the gift that Christ has given us by utilizing every choice to create the future, rather than staying stuck in the past? That we would own the fruit of our choices and shift as needed.
Go be free!