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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?

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