Skip to main content

Freedom

             It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

 

Years ago, someone asked me about the freedom I could have if I rejected Christianity. He was disappointed to hear that I wouldn’t immediately take up smoking, drinking, swearing, sleeping around, and petty theft. They aren’t a part of my life and I don’t see any reason why taking them up when I don’t want to makes me free. When Paul write this passage, he was referring specifically to people coming into the church and insisting that Christians must follow Jewish laws (e.g. circumcision) in order to be a real Christian. But recently, the question of what my life would look like if I were free has come to mind, and I’ve told myself, “I don’t have the time to contemplate that” and gone on my way.

Today seems to be a day to consider it. What would my life look like if I were free? What would yours look like? Let’s set the rule that this is not freedom from consequences of what you do… food still contains calories but at the same time, your body still needs it. Killing people is still illegal and drinking and driving may result in the loss of life. But take it from either direction: free from or free to.

Three ideas immediately come to mind. The first is being free from my emotional connection with food. The second is freedom from the need to work to make a living - but that violates the rule above. And it’s not that I don’t like my job, I just don’t like feeling as if I need to work just to scrape by. The third is probably related to the second and may be more than one thing I’d like to be free of the compulsion to perform and from the sense of never being good enough. A few more possibilities: freedom from doubt, hatred, fear, anger, jealousy/envy, pride, and depression as controlling forces.

Now, what about some things I’d like to be free to do?  I suspect that the first one that comes to mind is simply the inverse of freedom from. I wish I had the freedom to dance. I can’t dance, but I think the freedom to dance has more to do with being free from not being good enough, or from pride. I’d like to be free to do what I consider fun. What would that mean? First, it would mean that I wouldn’t feel embarrassed or guilty because I don’t find what everyone else calls fun enjoyable. Secondly, it would require that I not think the things I do enjoy doing embarrassing. Thirdly, it would require that I stop feeling guilty for having fun, period. I struggle with reading fiction sometimes because it’s just for fun. I think that goes back to the freedom from the compulsion to perform. I’m sensing a trend here. Freedom from is freedom to, and freedom to requires freedom from.

But now we reach the obvious point of the post. Your turn - whether you comment on this post or just think about it on your own - what would you like to be free from? Free to?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pure...

            The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (I Timothy 1:5)   I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16) I’m probably cheating - or mishandling the Bible, but earlier I was thinking about love being pure and purifying. And hatred being pure and purifying. And anger…joy…patience… fear… jealousy… courage…lust… and other strongly felt feelings, attitudes, and beliefs. Today’s verse brings purity and love together, so it’s the verse of the day, but it’s not really the focus. That means my motive for sharing it with you probably isn’t pure. As you read through my list, you   probably thought, “Yeah” about some, and “What’s she on?” about others. But consider how much hatred, anger, fear, jealousy, and lust can crowd out everything else. This is like
Post a Comment
Read more

The Right Road

          Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. (Psalm 139:7-12)                  For years before GPSes existed, I told people I wanted something in my car that would tell me, “Turn left in half a mile…turn left in a quarter mile…turn left in 500 feet… turn left in 100 feet…turn left now …You missed the turn, Dummy!” The problem isn’t necessarily that I get lost so much as I’m afraid I’ll get lost. I don’t want to have to spend my whole trip stressing over the next turn. I have the same problem with my spiritual journey.   
Post a Comment
Read more

Not Sharing

            Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure . (I Timothy 5:22) Today’s is a hard one. The part about not being hasty in the laying on of hands isn’t so much the problem unless your love language is Touch. We aren’t pastors. We don’t tend to be involved in commissioning anyone. What we don’t tend to think of when we hear “laying on of hands” is that it involves relationship and approval. Our sending them away as our representatives may not seem real to us, but just think about what being seen with the wrong folks can do to a reputation. I’ve heard that Billy Graham would not be in a room alone with a woman. Others follow the same policy, or at least make sure the door is open so that anyone who wants to can see that nothing’s going on. But the hard part is not sharing in the sins of others. What does it mean? It’s comparatively easy to say that being pure means not having sex with someone who is not our spouse.
Post a Comment
Read more