Rebekah Lyons

We all want to know exactly what we were made for. Yet a calling feels like something for an exclusive few. You Are Free by Rebekah Lyons reminds us that God has plans for each and every one of us and that abiding in God s presence is how we run free."

Be Who You Already Are

You Are Free

Courtney

Before I got my hands on Rhythms of Renewal, I checked this book out from the library. It’s ok. Definitely holds some truths, but I’m not very much one for the mish mash of the memoir that could likely have used better editing. I would honestly recommend “You’re Already Amazing,” by Holley Gerth over this.

Sarah Vaughan

I love books. I love the smell of books. I love the design of books. I love reading, period. As a result, I believe in the sanctity of books, and I would not dare write in, highlight, or dog ear a book. Not even if my worst enemy lent me their favorite book and my worst passive-aggressive tendencies showed themselves would I dare crack the spine of a book. 

But I wrote in this book. I highlighted the ink right off the pages of this book. I read and reread and read again the words in this book. 

Maybe it's the fact that I have been struggling with anxiety and panic attacks for the past few months. Maybe it's the fact that this book came to me at the right time in my life. Maybe the fact that I've learned to be kinder to myself makes me able to be kinder to others and to appreciate their endeavors and their work more than I have in the past. Or maybe, this was just an amazing book for people struggling to let go of their anxiety, their fear, their inability to believe they are loved and accepted. 

This is not a cheesy memoir for people who like to keep score. This is not a book that makes me feel left out of a special club, as though my lack of goodness or perfection or inability to understand every part of the Bible make me unable to be accepted. 

This is just a book written by a woman who has had the same fears, the same struggles, the same longings that I've had. And knowing that other people have walked through my darkness has set me free. 

Now, I didn't start blasting Sly & The Family Stone's "Dance to the Music" on my stereo when I finished reading this book. (If you don't recognize that song, think Shrek and the dance party featuring Donkey at the mic that comes at the end.) I did not hang off the side of my porch shouting "I'm the king of the world" at the top of my lungs when I finished reading this book. Instead, I slowly turned the last page. I delicately closed the book. I contemplated. I confessed. I asked for forgiveness and love and healing. And I whispered to myself, "I can be free." And that alone is reason enough for me to want to recommend it to every single person I've known or met that is struggling silently or violently with anxiety, depression, any mental health disorder, and anyone who just needs a reminder that, thanks to His sacrifice, we are free to be free.

Have you bought the lie? Many of us do. We measure our worth by what others think of us. We compare and strive, existing mostly for the approval of others. Pressure rises, anxiety creeps in and we hustle to keep up. Jesus whispers, I gave my life to set you free. I gave you purpose. I called you to live in freedom in that purpose. Yet we still hobble through life, afraid to confess all the ways we push against this truth, because we can’t even believe it. We continue to grasp for the approval of anyone that will offer it: whether strangers, friends, or community. Christ doesn’t say you can be or may be or will be free. He says you are free. Dare you believe it? In You Are Free, Rebekah invites you to: • Overcome the exhaustion of trying to meet the expectations of others and rest in the joy God’s freedom brings. • Release stress, anxiety and worry, to uncover the peace that comes from abiding in His presence. • Find permission to grieve past experiences, confess areas of brokenness, and receive strength in your journey towards healing. • Throw off self-condemnation, burn superficial masks and step boldly into what our good God has for you. • Discover the courage to begin again and use your newfound freedom to set others free. Freedom is for everyone who wants it—the lost, the wounded, and those weary from all of the striving. It’s for those who gave up trying years ago. It’s for those angry and hurt, brilliant and burnt by the Christian song and dance. You are the church, the people of God. You were meant to be free.

You Are Free Be Who You Already Are

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