Freedom. It is something that will cause a man to murder, a woman to lie, and a child to steal. It leads to betrayal and desperate measures. What exactly is this freedom that people will go to such great lengths for and do we really have it?
According to the dictionary freedom is the absence of restraint. Most of us think of freedom in regard to slavery. Under slavery someone is without the ability to move about freely and make their own decisions. This can be found in the Israelites’ captivity in Egypt where they eventually found freedom from their masters. Slavery can be found in early American history that led many slaves to risk their lives to find freedom in the northern states. It can be found today in many parts of the world where women are sold into slavery and rarely find freedom. These are the images that come to mind. In comparing ourselves to these situations we can say that we have freedom…. Until we look back at the dictionary’s definition.
“Absence of restraint.” I do not have irons on my ankles and wrists. I do not have to be worried about being sold. My body being considered the property of someone else is not in my world. Therefore, I have freedom? Yes and no.
I have freedom from slavery as we define it. I do not have complete freedom. I do have restraints in my life. The laws in my society govern me. I cannot just speed down the road in a school zone. I cannot just cause a riot and then go about my way. I have restraints. I do not have the freedom to do just anything I want. Something in my life restraints me and leads me.
This something can be anything. Do you really have freedom from the addictions in your life? They do not have to be drugs or alcohol. What about shopping or playing video games? They have a control over you that takes away part of your freedom.
Are we free from cell phones and having to be connected to the world at large? When looked at that concept, very few of us have freedom. We are tied to something.
From a Christian’s standpoint, we do have freedom yet when we surrender to God we give up freedom and give all of it to Him. Our free choices usually land us in trouble. I have the freedom to drink alcohol. It gets me into trouble when I drink too much. I have the freedom to have intimate relations, but trouble arises when it is outside of marriage. I have the freedom to make my own decisions, yet they are usually self-centered and not the right path.
Freedom is an ideal that we strive for, yet will never achieve. We focus more on levels of freedom while giving it all away unknowingly. True freedom is to never be found on this earth because something always directs us. The issue now turns to what directs us and what we have handed our “freedom” to.
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