Freedom

Have you ever thought about freedom? Ok....maybe that was a silly question.
But, honestly though. Have you given it much thought? We all have it thanks to the sacrifice of all the men and women who fought for our country and willingly take the stand to protect us now. It's something that many of us born as US citizens might not think about unless learning about it in school.
Freedom...
What does it mean to you? Does it mean anything to you?
Not only am I free in this country, but I am free in Christ. I am forgiven. No longer am I bound to the things of this world, I am above it. Does that mean I am perfect? No, by no means am I anywhere near it, and I never will be. But, seventeen years ago I chose to believe and trust in a God much bigger than me. I chose to believe and place my faith in a God who is capable of loving each and every person equally, and that love is more than any of us will ever be able to fathom. Not only is he a big God, but he's a God of detail. He's merciful, just, and gracious.
It is so comforting to know that he created me with each of my quirks. My laugh and cry were both created by him for me. He carefully chose what color eyes and hair I would have. He knew what skin color I would have, and he knew what height would work well for me. He chose the body type as well as the shoe size and the placement of my freckles. He designed me to be me. There were no mistakes made, no goofs that were missed. He went over my attributes with a fine tooth comb until he was satisfied. The amazing thing is that he did that (and does that) with each and every one of us humans. Not a single one of us was a mistake. Not a single one of us are unknown by God.
Not only did he take pride in creating me, but he takes pride in helping me discover the beautifully hand-written, skillfully crafted story that is my life. He knows the moments that will make me laugh just like he knows the moments I will sob over things that are heavy on my heart. He specifically made me to have a desire to love people of all types. He chose to take me through certain dark valleys so that I could witness how marvelously breath taking the view at the top was. He knows that things in my life will be difficult, but he also knows how he will use that to bring himself glory.
Some people might think of that as selfish, but I think it's only due to him. He sacrificed so much to give us the gift of love. He chose to give us the freedom of choice. He gave us the choice to love him or turn our back on him. He gave us the choice to reside in his arms and trust that he will be our provider or to spit in his face and reject his love. So why shouldn't he get the praise and glory? Maybe if one us could make something so beautiful and complex as the human body then we could say that he doesn't deserve all the praise, but I'm pretty sure there is not a single person on this earth meticulous and imaginative enough to do that. So... he deserves it all.
With freedom comes responsibility. We must be mindful of what we do with that freedom. We are free in this country, but there are guidelines and boundaries one must follow to avoid punishment. It's the same thing with freedom in God. We have a responsibility to be living testimonies of his incredible love. Yes, we have freedom from the binding ways of this world, but that does not give us the right to do things that we, our sinful selves, want to do. We must choose to do things that will bring his name praise and recognition. There are so many things in this world that are more appealing to us than choosing to live for him which goes against the grain of all society. We will all be held accountable in the end for all that we said and did.
Freedom comes with a price. God paid that ultimate price for us by sending his Son to die a gruesome death on the cross, but there is a price we must pay. In the end, it is a very small one compared to his, but in the present moment of our lives it seems huge. Our pride must be laid down, and we must be willing to go where he asks. We must be willing to say no to the things of this world that seem appealing. It is one thing to say no to something we know we mustn't have and the rest of the world typically looks down upon, but it's another thing to say no to something we know we mustn't have and the rest of the world makes sound so appealing. Love, happiness, peace, wealth, they're all things that aren't inherently wrong, but when we chase after them to please our self, we neglect to remember to pursue just what God wants us to have. Is there anything wrong with love? No, but there is something wrong with it if it makes you neglect developing your relationship with God. Is happiness wrong? No, God is not a God who withholds things from us to make us miserable. He enjoys giving us the desires of our heart, provided they match up to what he asks of us.
There are some who feel as though they are free even though they chose to neglect God's gift of salvation. To them, they are free because they do not have to follow rules and regulations that are written in the Bible. But, they are blinded to the fact that they are slaves to their fleshly desires.
I think that freedom is something that should be on the forefront of our minds. Thinking about freedom is rather eye opening. There are so many things we are capable of once we choose to take part of the freedom God offers us.