Free Indeed
Welcome to the 2017-18 MOPS International Theme – Free Indeed
Theme Verse
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, he has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. -Luke 4:18-19
What do you long for? What is the thing that your heart craves?
Is it possible that your deepest desire is to be free?
Free from worry.
Free from feeling stuck.
Free from hustling to be loved.
Free from a heaviness you can’t put your finger on.
Free from thinking you should be someone other than exactly who you are.
At the core, maybe what we are all longing for is to be Free Indeed.
In order to unfold our wings this year, we will …
Let Love Be The Loudest Voice
Proclaim Favor
Sometimes, especially as moms with young kids, life can sneak up on us, and we don’t realize that we have gotten stuck. Stuck in patterns of thinking or habits that are holding us captive. This is the year that changes, this is the year we will stop settling for what simply gets us by and do the work to get to what’s best. We will examine our worries and not believe everything we feel. We will bask in the freedom of living loved by understanding who God is, and who we are because of it. We will be free from the need to hustle for our worth, and we will live in the truth that we are already loved and loveable without all the striving. We will parent with fresh perspectives and will treat ourselves with tenderness, because love is the loudest voice we hear, and it is proclaiming freedom and favor.
This is about putting in the work to live fully loved and fully free. To recover our sight in order to view not only ourselves, but other people as God’s beloved children. To internalize the truth that God does not expect us to earn or hustle for our worth. God tells us, Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. – Matthew 11:29-30
Be Gutsy
Proclaim Release
Sometimes we don’t take responsibility for our lives. WE carry the weight of expectations, feeling out of control over the pace and trajectory of our days. Being gutsy is about realizing that you get to decide how busy you are, what you say yes to, what is best for your family and what you make a priority in your mothering. If you need to slow down your life –you can do that. If you feel like you don’t have any friends, go out and make some. This is the year of release from believing life has to look a certain way, and isn’t there so much freedom and audacity in that? The truth is, we have more authority to shape our daily lives than we think we do. Your life can match your values and your passions, it will just take some guts to make it happen.
We will proclaim release from the unwritten expectations that tell us we are supposed to live in ways that are incongruent with who God created us to be. It is freedom to mother and freedom to shape your family rhythms. To trust your gut and to move with freedom and passion just like Paul tells us to, Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. – Galatians 5:16
Go First
Set Free
It is a fact that freedom is contagious. That is why we are choosing to go first in order to spark a revolution of women who are choosing freedom over fear. Going first is about being courageous enough to take steps before you are ready, to share the details of your journey, extend invitations, conquer fears, and lead the way for friends and kids and family. In fact, one of the best ways to advocate for others’ freedom is to go first ourselves, and then we can share with courage and honesty because we have found the keys that can set others free. We will go first so that we can set other captives free.
Going first means being the first to tell your story, the first to strike up a conversation with a stranger, the first to invite a friend to MOPS. It is walking in freedom and inviting others to get free by encouraging other women to get honest about their failures, fears and secrets. Because what we know is, The truth will set you free. – John 8:31-32
MOPS stands for "mothers of preschoolers" - but don't let that confuse you. MOPS is about meeting the needs of every mom of a child from conception to kindergarten. MOPS exists to support, encourage, and equip moms.
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