Week 1: Let Go of the Grind
Modern culture teaches that if you show up, grind hard, and hit your marks, you move up. Eventually, you can find your identity in being the person who “gets stuff done.” But lurking under the surface is the fear that if we stop climbing, we’ll stop mattering; if we stop performing, we won’t be seen.
Pouring everything into work can offer a temporary sense of being needed, respected, and valued, but outside of work, feelings of uncertainty and disconnection creep in. When we look for validation in all the wrong places and people instead of staying rooted in commitment, we hurt the people we love most. In the end, repeatedly choosing work over home will cost you everything; and when it all falls apart, you’ll be left asking, Who am I now?
That’s when Jesus meets us, not just as Savior, but as Healer.
Jesus sets us free from the lies we’re tempted to build our lives on. These lies say we have to earn love, our value depends on output, and our performance defines our identity. The truth is, that’s not freedom—it’s bondage in disguise.
Grace, on the other hand, doesn’t play by the rules of a performance review. It’s about the sacrifice, victory, and unshakable love of Jesus, even when we have nothing to offer. It isn’t passive—it’s power. Grace empowers us to live differently—not to earn something, because we’ve already been given everything. Freedom means choosing to live from grace, not for it.
If you’re feeling more seen at work than at home, caught up in always trying to prove yourself, you don’t have to live like that anymore. Don’t repeat the same cycles— you are free. Protect what God has given you and walk with others who are trying to do the same.
And the choice you’re making to step into this Be Free journey, carving out space for Jesus? It might be the start of something truly new, where you can trade hustle for rest. Stop chasing love and start living from it.
Reflect
Where in your life are you still trying to earn love, approval, or worth?
What fear is driving your hustle?
When do you feel most like you have to “perform” for God or others?
What would it look like to live from grace, not for it, this week?
5:01 Freedom Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Let Galatians 5:1 be more than a verse I memorize—make it a truth I live. You’ve already broken the chains. Now help me walk out of the prison and leave behind the bondage of ______________________.
I reject the lie that I have to prove myself or fight this war alone. Equip me. Train me. Surround me with others who fight for freedom. Jesus, do something IN me before You do something THROUGH me.
May this be the start of a journey toward more of You and less of me.
In Jesus’ name, amen
