When you hear the word “freedom” what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Is it an image of the American flag and all the freedom that it stands for? Or do you think of war-torn countries where freedom is just a distant thought that may never be an achievable goal? Or do you think of an addiction that you are struggling with that you just wish you could gain freedom from? There are so many things that come to my mind when I think of this powerful word.God gives us so much freedom in our lives. Free will is the most powerful example that I can think of. This idea that I can make my own decisions – whether I think God agrees with them or not – is very powerful indeed. I can recall many seasons of my life when my own free will led me very far from God. In college, there seemed to be so many “important” distractions: sorority life, grades, fraternity boys, parties, the latest fashion, working, etc. that my relationship with God was something that could wait until I was “grown up.” In retrospect, that decision to choose all of those other distractions over God led to so many bad choices, painful experiences and deep, deep regrets.
You would think I would learn, right? Nope. Free will snuck up on me again after college once I was out on my own and all “grown up.” I still didn’t see the need to make a relationship with Christ a priority on my list. If I made it to church on Sunday, I was really proud of myself. But an ongoing dialogue with God, reading the Bible, immersing myself in worship… nope. I was too “busy” climbing the corporate ladder, networking, preparing for a wedding. I took full advantage of free will.
Now, almost 10 years later I look back on all those “wasted” years when I could have been experiencing true freedom, instead of just free will. Oh the fulfillment I could have been enjoying, the true love that comes from God, the amazing gift of salvation and forgiveness. What was I waiting for? Why did God allow me to wander aimlessly for all those years? Well, I think that’s just it… He “allows” us to make our own decisions. To choose Him. To choose a relationship that provides real freedom. He’s always there waiting…standing with outstretched arms…wanting us to choose Him.
Have you made the decision to fully choose God as your redeemer? The benefits of using our free will to choose Him are too numerous to list. But God does offer us a glimpse of what is available to us if we choose to follow Him in Isaiah 48:17-18:
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you, and leads you along the paths you should follow. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”
Seems pretty clear to me… relationship with God provides clear paths, good things and peace. Sign me up for that freedom!
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