Saturday, July 2, 2011

Freedom: Independence Day?

Freedom is somewhat like oxygen. We don’t miss it unless we don’t have it.

Those of us celebrating the July 4th weekend in America have always had a relatively "free" life. However, even with the protections of the Constitution, we are not completely free to do as we please. (You can't cry "fire" in a crowded theater, for example.) But if you're interested in total personal freedom, I have an idea for you.

Did you know you could become the head of your own government and establish or eliminate any laws you please? It’s true. Simply live on a boat in international waters. Of course, you’ll have to provide your own drinking water, food, and so on. But you get to be in charge.

Wonder what it would be like to live in a place without rules and regulations? Most people understand that when we choose personal freedom, we lose the “perks” of a well-ordered society— a trade-off if one’s goal is liberty from man-made laws. But what about God’s laws? Are they in effect even in international waters?

That's one of the issues I'm pursuing in my second book, due out before Christmas, 2011. The idea of freedom in Christ vs. living in obedience to our Lord fascinates me. Are we free in Christ? If so, what does that freedom look like? Sometimes our freedom seems quite limited by life circumstances.

In March, following a vicious attack by two dogs, my Maltese poodle named Lily had to wear a cone-like plastic hood. This “party hat,” as my vet likes to call it, kept Lily from chewing her stitches, but it also limited her favorite activity—gnawing on a rawhide bone perched between her two front paws. From behind the hood, Lily's pleading eyes looked at me as though I were a monster.

“Just for another week,” I explained to Lily, scratching her ears and expecting her to understand. Forlorn and defeated, Lily rested her chin on the plastic prison. Even if she had understood, a week was a lifetime to a 15-month-old puppy.

When God's plan involves curtailing our activities—whether through difficulties of health or finances or family relationships—we must look at Him like Lily looked at me. We don't see His grand design for our lives, or something He's trying to teach us, or the necessity of His having to call a halt to our plans.

God’s plan from the beginning of time was to free humankind from prisons of self, sin, and the law. A perfect sacrifice—the incarnate God-man—would pay the eternal consequences of our human condition. That's the best kind of freedom we could ever want. And it's available to everyone, everywhere. Happy "independence day" for all who are "dependent" on God.