Walking Forward in Freedom

When Dutch astronaut Wubbo Ockels returned to Earth after his space mission aboard the Challenger, he faced a surprising challenge. You’d think that reentering normal life—gravity, ground under your feet, fresh air—would feel like a relief. But for Ockels, it wasn’t that simple. His body struggled to adjust. He felt dizzy, nauseous, and disoriented. Not because something was wrong, but because everything was suddenly right again. His inner system had adapted to life in space—and now, it had to readjust to freedom.

It’s a strange paradox: sometimes the hardest thing is not being freed, but figuring out how to move forward once you are. Wubbo’s experience reminds us that even when the prison doors open, stepping into freedom can feel awkward. Unsteady. Foreign. When you’ve carried a weight for so long, its absence can feel disorienting. You ask yourself: who am I without this burden?

Mary Magdalene must have felt this too. She had been plagued—literally—by darkness. Her life was marked by oppression, rejection, and torment. Then Jesus stepped in. He healed her. Called her by name. Restored her. That should be the end of the story—but it was only the beginning. Freedom came quickly, but walking in it is a lifelong journey.

You know, real restoration isn’t just about what you’ve been freed from—it’s about what you’re being freed for. You don’t have to know all the answers. You don’t have to have it all figured out. Like Mary Magdalene, you just have to keep walking forward. Grace steadies your step, even when the ground feels strange beneath you. And as you go, you discover: freedom isn’t the absence of weight—it’s the presence of Jesus.

Where do you still feel shaky, even though you've been freed—and what small step forward could you take today into the life Jesus is calling you to?

P.S. Are you enjoying this journey with Mary Magdalene? Your own character might even resemble hers. Care to find out? Take our The Chosen 'Test of Character' and journey for a while with the character you have the most in common with.