He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21)
Yesterday's chapter of Waking the Dead has to do with freedom. Today, while watching a video that was filmed in Israel, I found myself thinking, “I think I’d like to go there.” Now, I don’t know if I’ll ever actually go, but the point is that I am now free to consider even the possibility.
This isn’t the first time since Dad died that I’ve considered my freedom. I have been trying not to take too much advantage of my freedom. My goal has been to make wise decisions. It’s amazing how quickly one can get busy. But as I’ve written recently, freedom isn’t just about saying “yes.” Freedom can’t be maintained unless one also says “no.” The last thing I want to do is celebrate my freedom too much.
One point that Mr. Eldridge didn’t bring up is that freedom is scary. There’s no one left to blame if I make poor decisions. There’s no more safety net. Instead, he focused on a different key. Freedom isn’t something that we achieve or maintain on our own. That’s very scary to me. There have been people on whom I’ve depended who failed me. People do fail the ones who are dependent on them – that’s just a fact of humanity. But my solution has been to hide, to run away. Freedom was freedom from people. Now? Now, as Mr. Eldridge describes it, I need to choose my fellowship who will, perhaps, help me destroy the very power it is natural for me to seek, or perhaps to bring down the enemy who seeks to destroy me.
There’s one more thing that Mr. Eldridge doesn’t talk about. In his discussion, it is the enemy who steals freedom. Maybe that’s the truth in my case, too, but as I see it, I chose to give up my freedom. That decision wasn’t unlike the decision made by someone when that person chooses to marry. Not all loss of freedom is slavery. It can be voluntary. That doesn’t change the challenge faced when freedom returns.
I’ve asked before for wisdom, direction, and attitude. A friend challenged me today to put be more specific. One of those specifics, I think, is with the handling of my freedom, and perhaps with the idea of seeking the freedom of others.
Yesterday's chapter of Waking the Dead has to do with freedom. Today, while watching a video that was filmed in Israel, I found myself thinking, “I think I’d like to go there.” Now, I don’t know if I’ll ever actually go, but the point is that I am now free to consider even the possibility.
This isn’t the first time since Dad died that I’ve considered my freedom. I have been trying not to take too much advantage of my freedom. My goal has been to make wise decisions. It’s amazing how quickly one can get busy. But as I’ve written recently, freedom isn’t just about saying “yes.” Freedom can’t be maintained unless one also says “no.” The last thing I want to do is celebrate my freedom too much.
One point that Mr. Eldridge didn’t bring up is that freedom is scary. There’s no one left to blame if I make poor decisions. There’s no more safety net. Instead, he focused on a different key. Freedom isn’t something that we achieve or maintain on our own. That’s very scary to me. There have been people on whom I’ve depended who failed me. People do fail the ones who are dependent on them – that’s just a fact of humanity. But my solution has been to hide, to run away. Freedom was freedom from people. Now? Now, as Mr. Eldridge describes it, I need to choose my fellowship who will, perhaps, help me destroy the very power it is natural for me to seek, or perhaps to bring down the enemy who seeks to destroy me.
There’s one more thing that Mr. Eldridge doesn’t talk about. In his discussion, it is the enemy who steals freedom. Maybe that’s the truth in my case, too, but as I see it, I chose to give up my freedom. That decision wasn’t unlike the decision made by someone when that person chooses to marry. Not all loss of freedom is slavery. It can be voluntary. That doesn’t change the challenge faced when freedom returns.
I’ve asked before for wisdom, direction, and attitude. A friend challenged me today to put be more specific. One of those specifics, I think, is with the handling of my freedom, and perhaps with the idea of seeking the freedom of others.
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