Freedom

Freedom. It's a funny thing. We so desperately want it, but often aren't thankful for it when we do have it. It's important enough that people throughout the world are risking their lives to defend it, but other people in the world are so easily taking for granted this freedom. Don't get me wrong....i am most definitely one of those people that takes my freedom for granted. It is something that I feel that i deserve. When I had my license revoked, it made me angry. Having my license taken away is completely unfair and doesn't make any sense. All of the sudden the size of my world has significantly decreased. When you go from the freedom to be able to go anywhere at any time, to all of the sudden limiting your world to anything that fits within the distance that you are physically capable of riding a bicycle, your perspective shifts. All of the sudden you feel a little claustrophobic and boxed in. It's not that I am used to going on extravagantly far road trips all the time and driving all over the country, but its the difference between being able to do that if I wanted to, and all of the sudden not having that option. I so quickly have realized all the small things that I took for granted. Going to the grocery store, whipping over to the gym after school, and quickly going to the library to pick up some teaching resources. The grocery store now lies (well, I guess it has always been in the same place!) at the bottom of a large hill, which means that I have to drag every ounce of weight (myself included) back up that large hill when I finish shopping. I am learning the definition of necessity, that's for sure! No longer is anything a quick jaunt away. Instead it is a workout of some sort, and often takes far longer than I would want.

Our definition of freedom is so tainted though. I was thinking about what we so often think of freedom as, and then the freedom that Christ has given us, and the difference between these two definitions. Some would say that we are talking about two completely different things, but I believe that freedom has been skewed and made into a selfish thing, when this was not God's intention for freedom. I don't believe that freedom in Christ means freedom from the presence and struggle with the flesh or indwelling sin. Instead he is referring to the provision of the Spirit as God's means of victory. So our salvation and freedom in Christ is not to be considered freedom from servanthood or from service and loving responsibilities to others (Romans 14-15). In Galatians 5:13 it says: For you were called to freedom, brethern; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. This verse hit me hard. The injustice I felt over losing my license was and is completely freedom over something of the flesh. I live in a free country where I am able to freely speak of the love of Christ, and I am concerned with losing my drivers license? That's a reality check. What exactly is freedom, and why is it that the definition of freedom has become so skewed by society (me included)? I think it's time that I start living in this new found freedom that I have always had, but have recently rediscovered. All of the sudden the loss of my license is not a loss of freedom, but a gain of freedom in the revelation of the true meaning of freedom (in Christ)!