Freedom
For the land of the free and the homeee of the braveeeeee.
But, where, or what, is the Land of Freedom? Over the past 9 months, I have been fantasizing about America, and life in America. The freedom I will get when I walk onto the soil of my long lost home. No longer will I have to follow these rules given by my organization, or hosts, or cultures. I can wear what I want, eat what I want, go where I want..when I want, do all things that I want because you know, in America, we are free. But as my time away from home grew, so did my fantasies of the US; I began to romanticize home. Not that it isn’t or won’t be great, but I expect the minute I go, I will be “free.” However, what is freedom?
Freedom is defined as:
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the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint
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the power of self-determination attributed to the will; the quality of being independent of fate or necessity.
Freedom and independence go hand and hand. I can do all things without restraint because it is my right! I have a right to this independence, the United States promises that! But, is it the United States that truly gives that to me?
On the race, I have struggled immensely looking at myself and the freedoms I have lost. I could never leave the house because it was too dangerous. I could never go on runs because we were in constant need of a buddy. I could only eat extremely unhealthy, or no food, because I was out of control of what was being cooked and served. I couldn’t chose my ministry. I couldn’t choose my friends. I couldn’t choose who I lived with. I felt like I could never choose, and the choices made for me, were not the ones I would have desired. I became frustrated with the consequences, the way I looked and felt and therefore blamed it all on my loss of freedom.
“Once I leave, I can finally have my freedom back and life will be sooooo much better! My life only sucks now because I’m being forced to do everything.”
Freedom is defined “being independent of fate.” Being independent of fate? Is that even possible? Can we control fate? What is fate? Doesn’t God control our fates? Are we independent of God??????
What does that look like? Well yes, in the United States, we do have the “right to be free.” We have the freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, to bear arms… etc etc, all the things provided in the Bill of Rights. It is the foundation of our country, but is that what true freedom looks like? The United States had it correct trying to build a foundation on freedom, because that is something every human desires. We all want freedom, no one wants the inability to make choices because then we are a victim, and we begin to have victim mentalities and feel weak and hopeless and it all spirals until believing we are nothing unless we are free. Free to make our own choices and free to live free of shame.
What does freedom look like for people in other countries who aren’t born with the same foundational rights as US citizens. Do they have a right to be free? I have met so many people on my race in so many different cultures trapped. Trapped in prostitution with no way to escape, trapped in extreme poverty for no way to change their future, trapped in muslim or buddhist beliefs because if they convert, their families will stone them to death, trapped in a centurial curse from their ancestors by slave trade, trapped in an orphanage without any resources to heal that heart condition no one knows about, trapped in the lives they were born into because there is no way out. They are trapped. It’s not even just in third world countries that people are trapped in their circumstances, it’s everyone. Money, family, education, work, etc, all these things affect our freedom. Our decisions are not our own because there is always an outside factor, even in the United States. So even though we have the right to be free, are we?
Yes. We all have the ability to be free, but no amount of money or education, no country, and no family will ever provide that except for Jesus Christ. Our only true freedom can only be found in him. Freedom is our right, something we didn’t deserve, but is given to us by love through the shed of blood on a cross.
As a human, we will never be able to obtain independence. We have no strength without God. There is no us if there is no God. If he never created us out of love, we would never exist, so we are and will always be dependent on him. Nevertheless, God gives us independence. He gives us freedom of choice to chose true love. True love in and through him. This love would not be love if he didn’t give us whole and complete decisions to chose it in all aspects. He loved us so much, that he gave us the ability to not chose him and instead chose things that hurt him. But he’d rather the possibility we sin than force us to love him. This is why there is bad in the world, because he gives us this independence. The world chose evil and that’s what makes people trapped. Ironic right, out independence actually restricted our freedom? Insane.
Even through all of this, he still provided a way out. He knew the consequences of our decisions, and still loved us enough to die for us. He couldn’t decide which of his children deserved to be condemned to hell and who to stay glorified in heaven, so instead, he condemned himself to death. He chose himself to die, even though we deserved it, and we were the ones who made him have to make that choice. He took our place for this freedom to live in him.
Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Epesians 3:12
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Acts 13: 38-39
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.
Collosians 1:22
But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation
Even in the old testament God had promised this freedom to come
Micah 7:19
You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
Isaiah 54:4
Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
Psalm 34:5
Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
I promise, open up your bible and whatever page you land will discuss freedom. Almost all of the scripture is God’s love letter granting us freedom in Christ. Our decisions led to being trapped by shame, but through this, he reconciles us and brings us true freedom in him. Free from the law, free from death, free from shame, and free to have a complete and whole relationship with him.
Like me, this lack of freedom I felt on the race made me feel shameful. Shamed of who I was yet again in this victim mentality. Everyone in these countries feel shame for who they are and that they can’t change. Even Americans, behind their “everything is wonderful” face, feel shame about the things they can not change. But we are GIVEN freedom in that, we don’t have to try to achieve it, we are GIVEN that, and I challenge everything to ask the Lord what that looks like in your individual lives and ask Jesus to help you walk in that every day.
Almost my whole race I had been ecstatic to go home and have “freedom” again, but as the time left on the race gets less and less, I become more and more scared. I am terrified to go back after living in such a different lifestyle for 9 months, however, Christ gives me freedom from these fears. Christ gives me reassurance in his plans and satisfaction in his presence. He speaks to me everyday that no matter where I am, I am stable in him. I am home in him. I am free in him. I am not perfect, and have not realized this freedom completely, so I ask for your prayers and grace in this transition to the United States. Nothing is easy but he lifts our burdens. Thank you everyone for everything, I truly cannot express my gratitude in words. I am unsure how 9 months turned into 9 days, but I will see everyone at home very very very soon!
