Thoughts on Freedom

Jesus said "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. " This verse obviously has applications in the spiritual realm. Those who hold on to their earthly life will end up losing it, and those who give it up for the sake of Christ will find abundant and eternal life.

I think this verse has applications in the physical realm as well, as a counselor I had seen in the past pointed this out to me. Our goal in life cannot simply be the avoidance of death or pain. God wants us to live life more abundantly, most definitely in the spiritual sense, but I believe also in the physical sense as well. And I think many times these two realms overlap.

My counselor also pointed out the idea that much of sin comes from the avoidance of pain. Now, I am no expert hamartiologist (someone who studies sin, I just looked that up), and many things can attribute to someone choosing to sin, but I think in many cases, this is correct. Matthew 13:22 says "The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful." We spend our lives worrying about the bills, grades, our car, etc... Many of these are valid concerns, but they soon become our focus. I spend so much of my time worrying about the physical world, that it takes my focus off the spiritual.

So where does the idea of freedom come in? This world is full of pain and misery, but that is a result of God giving us free will. Yes, this world is in terrible shape, but the alternative would be a world in which we are zombies. A world in which we cannot love. Some may say God took a big chance when God gave us free will; some of the angels may have thought "what are you doing, God?" He gave us the ability to turn our back on Him, but it was the only way we could gladly turn to Him out of love.

Many philosophies and world religions try to deal with the problem of pain. For instance, Buddhism tries to eliminate pain by eliminating desire. But again, this is no way to approach life. Our goal should not be to avoid pain; God wants us to live life to the fullest. Should I avoid love because I am afraid of getting hurt? Should I avoid having children because they may turn their back on me? What about the man who has been married for 35 years waiting by the bedside of his wife dying of cancer? Do you think for a second that, despite all his pain and sorrow, he would take back those 35 years with his wife?

God never promises an easy life, nor does He want one for us. He does not want us to live our lives in a way that avoids inconvenience or hurt. Sometimes He has some painful things in store for us, but He promises that He will be there with us. Part of living a life of freedom, is experiencing hurts and pains. Such a life allows us to depend completely on God, not on our circumstances.

Our founding fathers believed in freedom. On many occasions, they exchanged absolute safety for a free society. They could have had a society in which the police randomly searched people's houses for no reason. Such a society may be ultimately safer, but it would have been less free. The founding fathers realized that a free life was ultimately better than a completely safe life. The founding fathers did not attempt some utopic society where everyone was guaranteed wealth and prosperity, they simply wanted a land of opportunity. They established freedom of speech and of the press, even though it meant people say vicious things about the government. They established freedom of religion, taking a chance that people may worship the living God in some unfamiliar way or even rejecting the living God, but I believe they did so because they thought that someone can only choose God if they did so freely.

Many of these early Americans (well, not as early as the native Americans) staked their life to build this free society. They could have had it easy, living back in England where some of them had established lives. Instead, they braved the harsh winters and fought an empire to establish the free society we have today. Many of them paid with their lives.

Many Americans make the same sacrifice today, giving their lives for our freedom. As we celebrate this Independence Day, we should be thankful for their sacrifice, not only for our security, but also because of our freedom. I think we can honor them by remembering the sacrifice they make and by remembering the ideals of freedom for which they fight.