Freedom

“I run in the path of your commands for you have set my heart FREE!” – Psalm 119:32

In class on Friday I had to talk about the difference between freedom and licentiousness.  When she gave the assignment and I choose my set of words, I honestly had no idea what I was choosing.  She had written them up on the board and since I recognized “libertad” I thought, why not?  I had no idea what the other word meant at a time.  Well… pretty sure if she’d realized the sermonette it would have turned into, she would have assigned me a different set of words :)

The truth is this is something that brings up really strong emotions in my heart.  In fact, I tear up just thinking about it.  It makes me think of people in my life who have chosen to seek freedom outside of the Lord and the great cost to them because they will never find it.  It makes my heart hurt for those that I love who think that living above the rules (whether moral or lawful) will bring them the freedom they are seeking.  And it makes me hurt for the many times that this has been me… and how hard-headed I am that it will be me again.

I remember my dad saying one time that freedom comes from following the rules.  And my dad is a rule-follower.  If you know him you will understand that learning to drive with dad meant you never went a half-mile over the speed limit.  If we ever want to be on time and we’re running late, dad doesn’t get to drive.  And I remember getting a lecture for sneaking food into the movie theater.  You get the point.

But then I think about moments in my life when I’ve seen the flashing lights come behind me knowing that I’m going over the speed limit or seeing the employee at the theater walk towards me and my contraband.  And I have to agree with my dad… that sure doesn’t feel like freedom.

The Lord has taught me, no scratch that, is still teaching me, that real freedom comes in obedience.  He has given me GREAT freedom from sin and from an obligation to the law.  And He has given me a beautiful picture of His great love for me and shown me repeatedly that He can be trusted.  And then, as the Jesus Storybook Bible puts it, He gave me rules “to show how life works best”.  The problem is I don’t always believe Him that His way is the best way and I try it out my way first.

I love the verse I put at the top of this novel-like post (sorry for that by the way).

“I run in the path of your commands for you have set my heart FREE!” – Psalm 119:32

That’s the thing isn’t it?  That knowing my great freedom in Christ, He has freed me up to run after Him, to obey His law, to seek the heart of God and in doing so run after all the things that are ultimately best for me.  What great freedom comes from living in obedience to so great a love. 

I so desperately want to believe and remember this every day of my life.