What Do You Do With a Freedom You Didn’t Earn?

Have I told you I'm a runner?

An unexpected runner, perhaps, with my lack of any sports background and my curvy 5'4 figure. But back in 2010, I was going through a bout of post-partum depression and realized that running made me feel strong and confident - I had the capacity to do it, even if my body didn't seem like it. 

So I'm reading this book called First Ladies of Running, about 22 women who made huge pioneering moves in the sport for women, and here's some shocking news I'm learning: Up until the 1960s, people just believed women couldn't run. So women weren't allowed in marathons or local races, and when they finally were allowed - they were massively harassed, had objects thrown at them, and even worse things happened to them.

And here I am, this woman in 2021, who decides to run when I want to, when I feel like it. 
Here I am: lapping up the freedom that I have, even treating it like a privilege, sometimes a burden... you see where I'm going with this. 

This is my story as an American, and even more so - this is my story as a daughter of God. I live in the thick of freedom that I didn't pay for, that I didn't purchase, that I didn't fight for, everywhere I look.
So if I didn't earn it or pay for it, the best thing I can do is respond adequately. And that's the question I've been turning around over + over again: How should I respond to such lavish freedom? 

Here's where I landed: Stepping into what I'm free to do, expressing wild gratitude for what I've got, and determining to be as generous as possible so that others can experience the same freedom.

And this goes for freedom from body shame too. So here's to stepping in, being wildly grateful, and as generous as possible.

ps: please tell me you've gotten Breaking Free from Body Shame so you can take advantage of the freedom that is yours.