Does this picture speak to you of freedom?  If not, what is your picture of being free?  When you have completed school drop off for the day? 

When you walk out of your workplace door for the evening or the weekend? 

A few snatched moments to yourself?

Being on a swing in the playground? 

Caught up in a book? 

Kicking off your shoes at the end of the day? 

When there are no specific demands on your time or energy for even a few short moments, to me, is a definition of being free.

I admit to having that feeling of relief when I feel that I am free of something that has been weighing me down.  I love being a mum, but that sense of freedom when my cherubs are not my responsibility for a time is something to savour. 

I guess it is similar to what they feel when they walk out of the school grounds when a couple of weeks of school holidays lie before them (or for me – when they head back after their break!)

The picture I have included here speaks to me of freedom.  That moment when I am not bound – by expectations, by duty, by required tasks, by demands, by stuff. 

Upon reflection I recognise that many of the things that I am ‘bound’ by are generated from my own thinking and sets of values.  This is something I struggle with, particularly the expectations of others one, but am trying to do better in. 

As I look at the picture I am a little envious of the woman because that place is somewhere I would like to be and what I would like to do.

When Jesus walked this earth he told his followers that “If the son (that is, Jesus) has set you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36  I am reminded that I don’t need to be bound by stuff because there is freedom in knowing Jesus and living in the way that he taught.  That thought can help me feel free, even if I’m not standing at the water’s edge at sunset!

Now, to go and pick up the children.

Be blessed.