I am gifted with an incredible family; a family who continually seeks to understand the ways of God. But our family journey in Christ is less than perfect. It is a day-by-day process of baby steps that draw us to the cross where God tenderizes our heart with the salt of His Word.

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I struggled to roll the waistband of my pleated skirt; there was no way I was going to school wearing a skirt this long. My mom insisted dresses and skirts were mid-knee length and she wasn’t beyond using a yardstick to measure.

Everyone, no matter the age, wants to fit in with their peers.

In the mid-sixties pleated and kilted plaid skirts was the fashion rage with middle school girls. As a fourteen year old, I desperately wanted to fit in with my group of friends and rolling my skirt waistbands at the bus stop became a ritual.

There were other religiosity rules besides hemlines. Boy/girl swim parties were forbidden, so were movie theaters; and a phrase like ‘dang it’ too closely resembled a swear word and might require a mouth washing with soap. There were dreaded morning devotions before school and reading a few pages of ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ before bed.

Our life can be constrained by beliefs and teachings of previous generations.

I rarely invited friends to my house; there were just too many rules and I cringed to think what would happen if profanity escaped from the lips of a friend. I knew the embarrassment that would ensue if I crossed my mom’s line of Christian purity.

I will never forget the time my mom picked me up after a middle school football game; I was a cheerleader. After the game the players and cheerleaders would hang out in the school’s lobby, but seating was limited.  On this occasion, my mom arrived to find me seated on the knee of a football player. My behavior was unacceptable and mom’s religiosity kicked in sparing me no embarrassment in front of my friends.

Repent from religiosity.

Years later my mom released the chains that bound her to religiosity. I applaud her for letting go of religion scripted by man. She relinquished the judgmental teachings from her past, and began to embrace the full spectrum of the Gospel.

I love my mom. She is an incredible woman of God with a story to share about the bondage of religiosity. Her heart has been transformed and her mind renewed from that misguided doctrine.

God is concerned about the heart, not outward appearances of religiosity.

God doesn’t give hooey about the length of our skirt or hair; or whether we wear granny panties or sexy thongs. He doesn’t pass judgment based on tattoo art and piercings; God sees only the heart.

Maybe you have multiple failed marriages, are an ex-con, or battle addictions; God sees only the heart.  To the prostitute, the runaway and sexually abused, I say this; God will rock the world to bring you to His salvation and grace. Redemption is free to all, but a change in lifestyle is required. Not a religiosity lifestyle, but a Godly lifestyle based on the Word of God.

Are you ready to break the chains of religiosity?

If you are held in bondage by the chains of religiosity, consider this; God’s grace is not about your views or opinions of worthiness. It’s not about your personal interpretations of God’s Word. God is the heart specialist and only He knows how to read the heart.

Is it time for you to break from the chains of religiosity and allow God’s Word and Spirit to make changes within your life? Lay your religiosity at the foot of the cross and let God do His thing.

“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:24)