Freedom - Letting Go And Embracing ChristSample

This Does Not Define You  

I have a low point in my history that I’m not proud of. I hit rock bottom after having three kids in under three years. In that season, I was sure God was done using me. I was okay with that; I figured I’d done my best up until that point. 

God had other plans. When I was able to share the hard parts of my story in Mom Up, I couldn’t believe the feedback from women who had walked through similar things. My friend texted me and said, “Remember your postpartum struggle? See what God has done with that all these years later!?”

She was right. God did that. Only God can take our brokenness and turn it into something amazing. I’m reminded of this through the story of Mary Magdalene. 

Mary was a faithful follower of Jesus. She was the most prominent woman who accompanied Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. This hints at the significance of her life and her role in Jesus’ inner circle. But this isn’t where her story began. 

Mary met Jesus and found freedom. She had seven demons cast out of her. Mary Magdalene walked and talked with Jesus, doing real life with Him and His disciples. We don’t know the specifics of her demons or what she had walked through in her past, but we do know that no one is too broken for Jesus to use. 

Fast forward. When Jesus was abandoned by His followers, Mary Magdalene stayed by Him. She saw Him buried—and then came back to find the empty tomb on the third day. She is considered to be the primary witness to history’s greatest event. (Can you imagine?!) 

In John, Mary hears her name in His voice, and her eyes were opened—she knew Jesus. Her response is like that of the sheep described by Jesus in John 10:3–4: “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out . . . The sheep follow him because they know his voice.”

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, calling us by name. This beautiful encounter with Mary shows us how Jesus is a personal friend. He does not define us by our past, our missteps, or our struggles. 

He frees us and uses us right where we are.