It seems that often freedom boils down to an issue of space or restriction. You might think if you have a bigger house you’ll have more space and feel more free. We might think a bigger yard, greener pastures will help us achieve that sense of freedom. Perhaps you feel stuck like you’re going nowhere and you think moving to the big city will alleviate that feeling of loneliness. We think less rules will allow us to do whatever we want and will make us finally free. You might think moving out from under Mom and Dad’s roof will suddenly make you truly free. But rarely is space or a lack of rules the thing that makes me trapped, imprisoned and not free.
If you are wracked with self-inflicted guilt you are not free. If you are addicted to alcohol or caffeine or sugar then…you are not free. If you are obsessed with making other people happy, worried you will upset someone by what you say or do…you are not free. Even if you are verbally or emotionally abused by a family member or boss you are not free. If you find yourself unable to go for a few hours without your smartphone or connected to your social media then you are not really free.
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)
Jesus wants to make you and I truly free. He wants to free me from dependence on what other people think or say or do. He wants me to be free from addiction to money, power or material possessions He wants me to depend on nothing but Him alone. Only then will I be truly free.