This year Christmas took a different spin for me. The word that kept coming up and sticking with me? Freedom. This year Christmas came in the midst of more change/newness of circumstances than I’ve ever experienced in one year. It came in the midst of tight chest, racing heart and never-stopping mind. It came in the midst of transition that threatens to paralyze. And I’m listening to my pastor talk about how the “host of heaven’s armies” has a military connotation, how Jesus came to a people oppressed by force. And he’s reminding us that Jesus came to liberate. And I’m talking to a friend about how trusting God is what I need to work on. And the words that she speaks bring comfort to my soul: “We all have certain bents for what we’re gifted in, but we also have certain bents for what we’ll struggle with. Some people are just more prone to be anxious. But that also makes up your personality. Rather than thinking that ...