Stop staring at the glass

Fill a glass to the brim and walk it across the room while staring at it. You'll spill. Your hand stiffens, your steps get jerky, and the water jumps. Look where you're going instead, and it arrives almost full. Freedom carries the same way.

Clutching looks like fear. Checking yourself every hour. Dreading every party. Treating each stray thought as a crisis. Guarding is calmer. You know where the door is and you know it's locked. Then you get on with your day. A freedom you have to clench isn't fully yours yet.

Guarding lightly means keeping the few real rules. No stash. No little tests. No negotiating. Those three hold the line on their own. The imaginary rules can go, and so can the rehearsed disasters. All that nervous watching just keeps the cigarette starring in your day.

Retire one fake rule today. Maybe it's dodging a friend who never once pushed you. Maybe it's skipping a place you love for no real reason. God is able to keep you from stumbling, and He's holding this with you. Eyes up. The glass is fine.