It is for Freedom

It's amazing how life (and the spiritual journey) can take on themes that seem to repeat everywhere you turn.  Recently we've been singing a song at church that says, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  What will we do with it, what will we do with freedom?"  This comes from 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.

Two weeks ago, mid-song, I stopped and really started thinking about the power of that line.  Christ has set us free - he gave us freedom, and we have the choice on what we will do with that freedom.  The realization that I have been given freedom, suddenly hit me, and the weight of that freedom was much heavier than I could have imagined.

Today I ran into the second piece that fits into this theme ...

I am reading one of the more challenging books that I've come across; The Evolution of Faith by Phillip Gulley.  He is a Quaker minister, and though he has a few theological viewpoints that I can't agree with; he also has some insights that make me re-evaluate my supposed understanding of my faith.

I have been wrestling with trying to ascertain God's will for my life.  What does God want me to do?  What kind of job should I have?  Where will we live when we retire?  I worry that I will chose incorrectly and send myself down a rabbit trail that will result in time and life wasted.  This worry has had two main consequences in my life: First, I've been reluctant to commit to a career, instead I have jumped from place to place hoping to find that job that will clearly show me that I am in God's will and leave me both spiritually and financially prosperous.  Second, I have often been paralyzed with fear and have not acted when I should have for fear that I will move outside of God's will for my life.

Through watching my life unfold; I realize that my lack of commitment and paralyzing fear are exactly the opposite of what God wants for my life.  They are the yoke of slavery Paul warned the Galatians against.  I've even felt a presence say to me, "I don't care what you do, just do something," but even with this feeling, I've often sat on my hands because I am not sure if that is me or God speaking, and the fear that it is me freezes me into my paralysis. And so on, and so on.

In regards to the idea of looking for God's direction in my life, Mr. Gulley wrote a very interesting section that I will put in verbatim below:

Over the years, persons have come to me expressing concern that they weren't following God's will for their lives, inferring God's will was a very specific and unique course of action God intended their lives to take.  They believe God wants them to marry certain persons, work at specific vocations, have a certain number of children, live in a particular home, spend their money in a certain way, and attend a specific church.  They worry that they have misunderstood God's particular will for their lives and consequently are living outside the range of God's blessing and protection.  They believe God not only has a specific plan for their lives, they believe God has a unique plan or will for each person and that our earthly task is to discern and follow that single path in order to be happy and fulfilled.

 

It is almost impossible to exaggerate the number of people who worry, obsessively so, that they are living outside God's will, causing themselves unnecessary emotional distress in their belief God will punish them for their live's direction.  While I admire these persons' desire to be faithful, I'm confused by their anxieties.  First, such a belief is contrary to our conviction that God is love.  Why would a God of love be primarily about punishment and retribution?  Secondly, it seems contradictory to speak of a God who has given us free will and at the same time has devised a precise plan for our lives that must be followed for us to be blessed.  It suggests God is double-minded, extending the gift of human freedom one moment, then punishing us for exercising that freedom the next moment.

There is a lot to unpack in this section, but for tonight I am going to focus on the freedom in these words.  God does not have a specific plan for my life that I need to figure out in order to live according to his will.  He does not require that I fit into a specific slot in order for me to have the fullness of life that He has for me.  Instead, He wants me to move daily toward Him.  He wants me, in everything I do, to strive to be His hands and feet to the world.  In my daily walk I am free to make my choices, but He is hoping that I will in everything choose love.

God is our Father.  He loves us as a father loves his children.  A father does not dictate his children's lives to them in order for them to receive his blessing.  Instead, a father loves his children by giving them the freedom to make their own decisions, to chose their own paths.  A father hopes that his children will grow into thoughtful, kind, compassionate, loving adults.  A father understands that these attributes are much more important to the central character and happiness of his children than their chosen professions, places of residence, mate, etc.

To speak of God's will is to speak of God's general hope for our lives, which is our growth in love and mercy, our increase in wisdom, and our commitment to justice and integrity.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. What will we do with it, what will we do with freedom?

Our lives are our own to live.  We are not constrained in our choices - God has even given us the authority to choose the fate of our souls.  (Think about the weight of the freedom in that sentence for a moment.)  My hope is that I choose each day to grow toward love and mercy, to increase in wisdom and commit to justice and integrity.  I want to know my Father in whatever way He will allow Himself to be known to me.

 

My prayer is that my spirit would embrace this freedom.  My prayer is that I would be released from the chains of my fear and that I would begin to live a life of bold action.  My prayer is that my Father would teach me how to walk in his footsteps, how to love like he loves, and live the kind of life that He hopes for me.  My prayer is that I begin to focus less on where I am going and what I may be doing, and more on the opportunities before me.  My prayer is that my concerns and worries cease to be about me, and instead turn toward the cold, the hungry, the oppressed and the forgotten. I want to use the freedom granted to me in a way that my father will say "well done" when I finally come home.