For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 

Gal 5:1

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I’m not enjoying all the freedom you’ve purchased for us. Though you’ve already freed me from the arrogance of trying to earn and maintain a relationship with God, and the anxiety of wondering what God thinks about me in any given moment; and though the chains of condemnation have already been broken and my fear of death and Judgment Day have been eliminated—I’m still not as free as you intend.

I’m still a babe, a neophyte, and a raw rookie in so many gospel freedoms. Only your mercy and grace help me see and acknowledge these things. Only your grace keeps me from beating myself up as I offer these prayers.

Jesus, please free me for being less aggravated, more often, with fewer people. Turn my hair-trigger reactions into slower, kinder, wiser responses. Help me use fewer words and more listening when engaging others. Unshackle me from the illusion of control and my commitment to a pain-free heart.

Jesus, please liberate me from thinking about the next thing(s), so I can be present in the current moment. Help me make better eye contact and heart connection with others. Help me to be more intrigued with people I don’t know and less timid around strangers.

Jesus, break even more of the chains of my lingering insecurities and self-doubts. Help me throw off the grave-clothes of shame and feelings of incompetency, about important things in life. Smash my “triggers,” heal my heart wounds, and free me from any residual roots of bitterness.

Jesus, please free me for greater spontaneity, louder laughter, saltier tears, and quicker repentances. Grant me a larger heart for loving the lost, having mercy on doubters, and running after strays and prodigals. May my spouse feel cherished and pursued, and my kids feel desired and loved for who they are. So very Amen I pray, in your most compassionate and tender name. SCOTTY SMITH 

DAILY DEVOTION