I AmSample

Have you ever felt trapped by a bad decision? Maybe you said something before thinking or acted out of frustration and now you regret it. Maybe it was someone else's carelessness that hurt you and there wasn't anything you could have done to change the outcome. You might have looked for a way out or an escape from the pressure you felt at that moment.

When we feel the outcome of sin, bad decisions, or brokenness, shame makes us want to hide. We might be tempted to never address the issue or avoid the pain we feel. Jesus, despite our sin, invites us into the light. This may be the farthest place we think we want to be, but Jesus leads us to the truth of God, and that truth will set us free.

We see the truth of God's love in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. When we say yes to following Jesus, we are invited to step into the freedom of a life forgiven and have a fresh start. We get to step out from under the weight of labels or others' misconceptions of us, and we get to step into God's identity for us — finding a place to belong. As God's children, we are free to live following the way of Jesus, not driven by the pursuit of perfection, but knowing our relationship with him has made us perfect in the eyes of God.