We were not made to keep up, we were made to be free.

Rebekah Lyons wrote this book from her own experiences.  She gives honest insight into her life’s challenges; discussing her fears, insecurities, and her constant striving to be accepted and loved by everyone.
We think we need to act like everyone else.
We think we need to look like everyone else.
And we think we need to be liked by everyone else.
Rebekah learned early in her childhood that she wanted to be liked, accepted and so she earned love by working hard to fit in.  Her worth became tied to her accomplishments.
She explains that when our worth is tied to what we do then we start to believe we are not worthy of love unless we earn it.  What she has learned in this journey we call life and her message to others is: We were not made to keep up, we were made to be free.  Our worth is enough, not because of what we do but because of who we are.

Then we asked Rebekah, “How did you get to that point of feeling free?”
Rebekah talks about her broken heart from rejection and discusses how God told her, public affection will never heal private rejection. And her prayer became: “God, heal my broken heart.”

God Rescued Her

When Rebekah moved to Manhattan, 7 years ago, she started experiencing anxiety and began having panic attacks.  She tells us how the anxiety affected her and how she dealt with the panic attacks:

[bctt tweet="God says, perfect love casts out fear and He has not given us a spirit of fear. @rebekahlyons" username="thehopeline"]
Rebekah had a moment where she was on the beach by herself, dancing in the wind and she describes it in the book: “I felt a glimpse of the freedom God longed for me to live into, a reckless abandon blooming into unencumbered joy.”  We asked Rebekah if she thought it was possible for everyone to feel that reckless abandonment and unencumbered joy? Here’s what she said:

[bctt tweet="Joy is not the absence of darkness but confidence that the darkness will lift. @rebekahlyons" username="thehopeline"]
Rebekah had many people say to her, “You’re writing my story.”  Rebekah says it’s not just her story of struggles but it’s God’s story of rescue.
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In the book, You Are Free, Rebekah Lyons invites you to:

• Overcome the exhaustion of trying to meet the expectations of others and rest in the joy God’s freedom brings.
• Release stress, anxiety and worry, to uncover the peace that comes from abiding in His presence.
• Find permission to grieve past experiences, confess areas of brokenness, and receive strength in your journey towards healing.
• Throw off self-condemnation, burn superficial masks and step boldly into what our good God has for you.
• Discover the courage to begin again and use your newfound freedom to set others free.