True Freedom is This:


Freedom is the right or ability to do or say what you want (Oxford student learner's dictionary).
Or 
It is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants.

I for one (just like everybody else I believe) very much love having the liberty to do what I want, when I want. Growing up, I always found myself "fighting for my freedom" from the overbearing do's-and-don'ts of most adults and older colleagues at school, in Sunday school, at home, and everywhere else.

With time it's becoming much clearer to me that true freedom is not actually what other people give you, it is what you allow yourself to have. It is not what the government, your boss, your parents or your school allows you to have.

Have you heard of this prison story where one of the prisoners who physically seemed to have been the most badly battered, expressed the highest sense of inner calmness, joy and freedom, not only as compared to his fellow prisoners but also to the prison guards.
It reached to such an extent that many of his fellow jail-cell occupants, in continuous bewilderment, could not help reaching out to him and consulting about his rather strange source of freedom?

Notwithstanding, I don't believe that freedom is necessarily the right to do or say what you want, how you want to, because if it were so, then none of us would really have freedom since we live in societies that are governed by laws, rules and regulations in almost every sector of our lives.
Therefore, I'd personally choose to refer to freedom as the liberty you give yourself to do what you so strongly believe is right.

Arguably, if you've ever been through an addiction, then you understand better that freedom is the liberty to do what is right. Because at the start you tend to feel good about living in a free world, having the freedom to do what you want, when you want: to drink, smoke, abuse, gossip, sleep around and whatever, so you begin enjoying your freedom in any way you choose.

Before you know it, you have lost grip, you can't do without it any longer: you find yourself drinking when you want, when you don't want, when it's appropriate and when it's not; even doctors begin to warn you about your health but for some reason you just can't stop it. Then eventually, by the grace of God, somehow things change in your favor and you manage to break loose from the addiction, and then you begin your journey towards healing.

As you embark on this your journey, it's very possible that along the way you still get the urge to drink or smoke again, but because you are free indeed, you are presented with choices; and in order for you to maintain the same state of freedom you need to choose the right thing because it is there and only then that you will remain free.

This is the same for most, if not all wrongdoings: we start them off thinking we are free to choose them, then in no time at all, they begin to enslave us so much that we can no longer choose anything else apart from them, even at a time when they're not what we want, but simply because they're what we have for an escape zone from the rest of the world out here.

Most addicts have tried and failed a zillion times at self-control, to an extent that it's no longer a reliable force to use against the addiction(s) they are battling. So it might not clearly be the realization that you possibly have more self-control now that enables you to choose not to drink or smoke, but it is the realization of the freedom itself, plus the ugliness you feel about the place you once we're at, that you choose the right actions through God's grace.

True freedom doesn't enslave you, it always leaves you with the liberty to choose. Rarely do we find ourselves addicted to doing good: to paying our taxes, to giving, to being integral, to not taking bribes. That is why repeating a negative behavior is called an addiction while repeating a positive behavior over and over again is called a habit or principle.

So, once again, True Freedom is the liberty to do what is right, as opposed to the right to act, speak, or think as one wants.

I like how Jesus explains it in John 8:33-34:
'They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.'

As discussed above, true freedom doesn't enslave us; therefore in order to remain free, we ought to choose the right thing. 


But what if I just want to do what I want?
Doing, acting and speaking as one wants turns out to be immature, and in the long run it results into avoidance of responsibility. 
- Elizabeth Elliot. (paraphrased)

A lot of things would go wrong if we all insisted on doing as we wanted, as opposed to what we really needed to do.

Just imagine our parents had the "freedom" to do and speak as they wanted, that would mean they would only pay our school fees and provide for our needs only and only when they wanted to.

Also, if the presidents, bosses, security guards and farmers chose to play their role only when they wanted to, this type of freedom would just kill us all!

It seems to me, that God indeed hid true freedom in choosing to do the right thing. Though it's usually uncomfortable at the start but when you persist, you get to enjoy the benefits that only a few people can.

You have the "freedom" to spend your money the way you want, however if you don't use that freedom to spend wisely, you also have the "freedom" to be broke.

Exercising isn't fun, it's painful most times, we have the "freedom" not to exercise. However, we shall never get to enjoy the feeling of lightness, health, and being in good shape that come with exercising.

When we insist on doing as we want as opposed to what is right, we shall never get the chance to enjoy true freedom.

But sometimes doing the right thing is so hard!
Yes, actually most of the time it's REALLY hard. But we can always ask Jesus to help us break free from addictions and other bad habits because remember, "He who the Son sets free, is free indeed" (John 8:36)
Also, sometimes all we need is the grace to flee from laziness and self-pity.

Thank you.
Please don't forget to share, like and comment.

Comments

  1. Wow Diana, you're growing as a writer. This makes me really proud. I love it

    Alot of what you write resonates with me as a Christian but also as a citizen than belongs to multiple societies

    For the Christian, its important that we define what 'doing the write thing' which in this case would be summarized in the great commandment

    Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul and love your neighbor as yourself. We know we love God by obeying His command whether we feel like or not... and we love our neighbor by extending the kind of grace we enjoy towards toward them

    I look forward to reading more and engaging with your written pieces more. May the Lord continue to use you for His glory πŸ˜‡πŸ˜‡πŸ˜‡

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the kind words.
      This is was surely missing.

      Delete

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