Unknowingly Free
In remembrance of Juneteenth, I share my sentiments on how being unknowingly free contributes to a continued state of enslavement, bondage, oppression, emotional and psychological impairment, spiritual and financial deficits, and long-term consequences.
The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth teaches that many enslaved and free African Americans gathered awaiting the news of the Emancipation Proclamation; the unfortunate conclusion of this is that many African Americans in the Confederate state of Texas never received the news that they were freed. Imagine living in perpetual oppression, unrelenting bondage, and enslavement with hopes that an end is near; the end occurs, yet you remain enslaved. It’s beyond shocking; therefore, it manufactures anger, bitterness, resentment, disappointment, and disdain. The overall impact of being unknowingly free holds emotional and psychological weight and exacerbates trauma that we may carry beyond our time of oppression, enslavement, and bondage. Oppression, bondage, and enslavement set precedence and beliefs that things may never change, dismantling our hope and purpose, refuting our faith in God’s promises for our lives, and keeping us stuck.
Many of our ancestors were unknowingly free, coerced, and forced to stay in oppression, enslaved, and in survival mode, never knowing or experiencing a thriving life, abundance, wellness, or wholeness. So, as we remember their experiences who were unknowingly free and unable to live life at its fullness, I want to petition you to consider how you are unknowingly free. Jesus Christ has paid the ultimate price, yet you continue to walk on the earth in constant bondage, enslaved to the things of the past, carrying guilt, shame, and disappointment, unable to change from a fixed to a flexible mindset.
To understand our lives when we are unknowingly free, we must consider areas where God delivered us, yet we returned, self-sabotaging our freedom because of fear, perceived rejection, lack of knowledge, tiredness, exhaustion, and all the life circumstances that wear us down. We continuously believe, behave, and perform as if we are still enslaved to our past relationships, experiences, and people. God has delivered us in many areas, setting us free to live abundantly, with immense freedom, granting us access to unconceivable opportunities, and positioning us to prosper. Yet, we remain in a posture that indicates we are unknowingly free. Sometimes, certain behaviors, emotions, thoughts, and circumstances continue to manifest in our lives because we are stuck and attached to a past of suppression, toxicity, fear, codependency, and servitude. The resolution to many of these factors is more straightforward than what our ancestors experienced because, unlike our ancestors, we are positioned to step into and embrace freedom that we know exists but haven’t fully accepted, but it is our mindsets that have us stuck. There are always signals when we are stuck; there’s increased tension, stress, migraines, immune issues, weight gain or loss, gastro issues, body aches, and many other responses.
So, how do we genuinely move toward acknowledging that we are free? First, we must recognize and accept that freedom is ours; it’s a gift from the Almighty Father. Secondly, we must shift our mindset away from the things that once held us hostage; this may require extensive processing and frequent sessions with a therapist. Thirdly, we commit to changing behaviors, attitudes, and actions; we don’t discuss it. We exercise these changes in our daily routines and interactions. Lastly, we wake up daily knowing, believing, thriving, and living free, free to serve the Almighty, obey his divine strategies, exercise our faith, and live as a child of the highest. These changes are healing, self-empowering, transformational, and, most importantly, freeing!
With Love,
Qwanquita T. Wright
CEO, Focusing on Self
