The Myth of Freedom

Ever since the beginning, humans have striven to create our own freedom. The temptation in the garden was more a question of whether Adam and Eve wanted the freedom offered by God or their own version of "freedom." They chose their own twisted, ironic version of "freedom," and we continue to play the same game today. Whose freedom do we want? Or, maybe more importantly, what is freedom?

Is freedom the ability to do whatever you want whenever you want to do it? Is freedom the feeling of knowing that no thing or person is in charge of you? Is freedom the result of a government, or is freedom the presupposition of a government? Is freedom merely a pipe-dream of post-Enlightenment thinking? Is freedom the state of being willing to chose without force? Are any of these actually ever completely possible?

John Meyer has a song that says belief should not be the basis on which anyone fights. I will go further, and risk placing my foot in my mouth, to say that we should never fight for the sake of something we struggle to define.

God's offer, in the beginning, was the freedom to walk within His world under His guidance. Freedom is not an absence of rules, authority, or order; nor is freedom the presence of a certain government, religion, or currency. Freedom is, quite simply, a life lived in such a manner that rules, government, order, and religion are not forced, coerced, or stated, but they are lived.

The offer of Christianity (in its purest form) is the opportunity to live within a story and existence of freedom. There is a better life offered that far surpasses morals, ethics, and "being good." There is a different freedom presented that exists IN THE MIDST OF slavery, persecution, and martyrdom. There is a story told that transcends language, position, patriotism, and gender. This story is the Gospel. Mere words cannot do it justice; it is best heard when lived.

Humans have tried to create their own idea of freedom only to become enslaved. Humans do not want freedom; we want slavery on our own terms. Do not confuse military success for freedom. Do not believe that financial gain will make you free either. Do not believe that politics can free you.

Freedom comes from knowing and living out the fact that there are two things that matter: 1) Loving God with everything and 2) Loving all others as if they were you. This is the life that brings freedom. This life may bring pain, discomfort, imprisonment, or death, but in the end they are the only things that matter. Because even in death, it is not over.