Freedom

I've been thinking a lot about the freedom that God gives us, and what that looks like. I think Freedom in Christ is different than what we often consider it to be.

"Freedom, like authenticity, is what we are promised when our desires and longings completely coincide with God's designs and plans for us as fully human beings. God's service, says the ancient prayer, is "perfect freedom". And, as with authenticity, freedom grasped too soon becomes an over-realized eschatology, a failure to realize how much work virtue still has to do to bring it to the goal. But the point of virtue is to work at anticipating the future in the present, and glimpsing and grasping the true freedom we are offered in Jesus Christ is a vital element within that. Otherwise, the slogan of "Freedom"! becomes just an excuse for license, as Paul saw already in Galatians 5. To accept appropriate moral constraints is not to curtail true freedom, but to create the conditions for it to flourish....we should expect that God's glory will be reflected out into the world when Jesus's followers learn the habit of the mind, heart and life that imitate the generous love of Jesus and thus bring new order, beauty and freedom to the world." -Bishop N.T. Wright, After You Believe

What is freedom? I feel like it is hard to define, but we all know that we want it. One of the definitions I found called it the "condition of being free of restraints".

People will fight to the death for freedom. I think that shows us a lot of what it is about. I think that freedom is always something that must be fought for, or worked towards. My good friend Jimmy was telling me the other day that we are always going to be a slave to something or to someone. I think a lot of people would disagree with that. On surface level, I did. After doing a little thinking, though, I realized that it's true. Even when I am "doing what I want", I am a slave to my own selfish desires...desires that when not kept in check not only lead me towards not only a selfish life but get me into a lot of trouble too.

So I guess that settles that...we are going to be a slave to someone or something. Things as big as money, sex, and power or as "little" as the cute boy in my class, the next fun weekend, or the brownie I get to have after class. Not bad things, in themselves, but potentially consuming, potentially.....enslaving. Ugg.

Kind of depressing I guess.

Until I think about the promises that God give us. That when we are slaves to Him there is freedom. He gives us rules to follow so that our hearts will stay pointed towards Him. That's what the rules are for...not to restrain us but to keep us from the things that will in the end bind us to them.

I'd rather have a heart pointed towards God than one enslaved to anything I can see...So for now I will pray that He will teach me the "habit[s] of the mind, heart and life that imitate the generous love of Jesus and thus bring new order, beauty and freedom to the world." Thanks for the wisdom, Bishop Wright

Thoughts on freedom, anyone?