The Basics

            But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1:25)

           Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that  gives freedom, (James 2:12)

           Let’s continue yesterday’s consideration of freedom. Today’s passages are both from James, and his Christianity had a strong Jewish flavor. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as we keep it in mind as we consider what he says. The Jews were a people who were repeatedly subjugated to other nations. Their freedom from those other nations was tied to their obedience to the law.

          Individually, our freedom is also dependent on obedience to the law, whether that law is natural law or the law of the land. While we may think of freedom as freedom from any restraints, that condition doesn’t exist. No matter how much we dislike it, gravity works. No matter how much we think it unfair, murder tends to result in the loss of freedom. Even if the law doesn’t catch up with us, we are given no choice but to imprison ourselves. We cannot tell most people. We cannot trust others. There is always a prison of fear of that day when someone finds out.

          Our society today tends to like to think of itself as free. We are free to be whatever we decide we want to be, and of course, those who don’t agree with us don’t deserve the right to infringe on our freedom. Rather, they deserve to have their freedoms curtailed.

          At some point, for us to be able to function as human beings, and especially as human beings in community, there must be some measure of stability. Stability always restricts freedom. One cannot be free to be one thing and its opposite at the same time in relation to the same thing. That violates the law of non-contradiction. The more we work within the laws of the universe, the freer we are. That sounds like a contradiction, but once we eliminate what doesn’t work, we’re free to choose among the things that do. Once we choose to work within what is and what is right, we have freedom.

          The key to this freedom may be our attitudes. If our focus is on all we cannot do or all that we are required to do, then we have no freedom. I think that’s been my perspective for the last couple of weeks. It’s easy to resent reality when it’s not what we want, and it always feels as though I have to start back at the basics when I’ve been fighting to make reality be what I want. Today, I feel as if I should be greeting people with a, “Hello, I don’t think we’ve met. My name is Karen, what’s yours?”