“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure–pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.” Luke 6:38 AMP

I have spoken at length about the joys and blessings I’ve been given in the form of my “unbiological” nieces and nephews. I have seen the hearts of these amazing young people up close and personal, and in them I have seen extraordinary kindness, generosity, and love. They have been blessed with a mom who has gone to great lengths to help them grow and develop the innate gifts God has given each of them in turn. I am constantly impressed by her ability to simultaneously encourage their individuality, while also consistently nurturing their spirits and guiding them to be the genuinely good people they’re becoming.

There is pure joy for me in being able to do things for others, especially for the people closest to me. I am one that rarely does something out of a feeling of obligation. Yes, there are times when I have obligations before me that I must meet, in a sense, just going through the motions, albeit convincingly. However, those times are not commonplace in my life.

Again, I go back to the spirit God created in me, and I am endlessly grateful He filled my heart with the love He did, along with a desire to offer it so easily to those around me. Yes, I have many walls up around my heart and spirit that were built early out of an instinct for self-preservation, but those walls are almost like one way mirrors. The love I have travels out through the walls with ease, but it is awfully difficult for anything trying to pass through in the opposite direction.

Have you ever felt that way in your life? As though you are living behind one-way mirrors, allowing you to see out, but keeping others safely on the other side, unable to see in unless we turn on the lights and permit them such access? If so, on which side of the glass do you try to keep your Heavenly Father? You see, that’s the problem with keeping up all of the walls in the name of self-defense. It becomes difficult to truly control who we keep out vs. who we let it, ultimately leaving us with an unintentional wall between ourselves and the Father.

What we, as sons and daughters of God, absolutely MUST remember is that He is our greatest defense. The Lord is our safest place, where the love is TRULY unconditional and we will always be given exactly what we need. Again, I go back to the words of the worship song I discussed yesterday (Place of Freedom). I love these lyrics because in them I find the most basic truth: with God the Father and Christ our Savior is where we have true freedom. “There’s a place my eyes can’t see, where my spirit longs to be…it’s a place of healing, it’s a place I live in freedom.”

I have experienced that sense of freedom and it is in the freedom that the healing takes place. I experience it whenever I’m with my husband. I experience it when I’m blessed to sit and talk with my sister. In those places, there is no fear and there is no pressure. Those are places God has given me in my life which allow me to dwell closer to Him and feel His presence much more acutely. Those are places He has given me where I’m able to feel free.

The freedom isn’t one of “do whatever you want and you’ll be free of consequences.” The freedom is in knowing you are completely safe and loved, no matter what. The freedom is in knowing that the buck doesn’t stop with you. I recall a time when I’d gone up to visit my daddy, and I slept deeper and harder than I had in a very long time. The next morning, as my dad was asking how I’d slept and I told him, the surprise evident in my voice, he told me that it made perfect sense as to why I’d had such a peaceful night’s sleep. He said it was because I was at my daddy’s house…he said my subconscious knew that, no matter what happened, my dad was there and so all of the responsibility didn’t rest with me. Basically, at his house, the buck stopped with him and that allowed me to let down my defenses and be free to truly rest.

That is the gift of faith in our Heavenly Father. When we choose to live our lives “under His roof,” so to speak, the buck stops with Him, and as long as we have faith in that, we are able to be at rest, regardless of what is going on around us. As believers in Christ Jesus, it is our faith that sets us free. It is our faith that breaks the bonds of sin and lifts the weight of responsibility from our shoulders, knowing that in doing our level best to seek Him in this life, He is taking every single step with us and making sure we have whatever we need for the steps ahead.

“But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 AMP

Take time to consider where the one-way mirrors exist in your heart, being especially mindful of which side of the glass you’re keeping God. Understand that you may be allowing Him free access to some areas of your heart and mind, but perhaps you are trying to block Him out of other areas without even realizing it. Once you’re able to see all of that, it becomes even more important to comprehend that He still sees everything, whether we are willingly allowing Him access or not. There is nothing in our hearts, minds, and lives hidden from Him. The only thing that will change is our perception, and hopefully, our reception of Him into every aspect of our existence.