This is my first blog and to be quite honest, I just didn’t dive right into it. I was trying to think of some killer introduction blog, but it’s like all of my thinking and writing abilities went out the window soon as I opened my laptop. However, after a sanctified meal from Chic-fil-a and a pep talk, I got my thinking juices going and here I am writing my first blog! I am super excited to share my blog and get the opportunity to share my life and how I continue to trade my thorns for crowns. Thorns to crowns in other words is pain to beauty. I don’t know about you, but I have had my share of pain, hurt, sorrow, disappointment, whatever you can call it. Then something amazing happened, I finally realized that I could trade my pain for joy, peace, beauty, happiness and freedom! I allowed God to take away my pain and that was not an easy thing to do. I never knew that it was possible because often times I asked God to take away my pain verses me giving it to him. Being able to give my pain (thorns) to God helped set me free to wear my crown and now even though pain makes it’s way in my life, I have mastered a different way to handle it.

Let’s talk about freedom, since it is the title of my blog. I don’t know what freedom looks like because there are many ways to illustrate it. I certainly know what it feels like because there is no way of faking it.

The picture above is one way to say that looks like freedom, but so do 1000+ more pictures of women running in nature look like. I decided to understand the picture and how it relates to freedom. First, the scenery is just right, the mountains in the background, the openness of the land, and the green grass all shout freedom. Secondly, the woman demonstrates release as she leaps and puts her head up, again freedom. Reality is that we want this same picture in our lives, not us physically trying to recreate this picture, but living a life of freedom. We want the freedom to be open and be in the right environment. We also want to be able to release and leap, but why does it seem so impossible? It is because we don’t give our pain to God, so we are left to picture freedom and not feel it. Freedom for some of you could be, finally forgiving your past mistakes, while for others it could be going finally letting go of that lie that you have believed about yourself. We seek some freedom somewhere, and it is okay that what you seek to be free from is different. As long as you are trading your pain for crowns. Note to self, you can not release and leap if you are holding on to pain, let it go.

God is saying this to you;

28“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

All I can say is that our freedom (crowns) are found in giving God our pains (thorns). Like I said freedom may look and feel different for all of us, but as long as we are trading our thorns for crowns, we are well on our way!