Freedom

July 3, 2022

Freedom is a wonderful gift. It’s one of the blessings of this country—having freedom. But freedom isn’t God, which is to say it’s not always good. Freedom is like all the other blessings from God—when used outside of the bounds God set for it, it becomes an idol and wields an inappropriate power over our lives.

Perhaps the clearest example is Genesis 1-11. Humanity has freedom, but the result is chaos, destruction, and violence. Freedom only works when everyone involved agrees to limit their freedom. 

This is greatly helped when we follow the way of God, guided by Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Along this way we find many unexpected freedoms. Sure, they call us to give up some things, but on the whole I think we’re grateful for them. I’m thankful for (and pray I grow in)—

Freedom to see the plight of the oppressed.

Freedom from greed, so that I can help the oppressed, rather than be the oppressor. 

Freedom from being militant, so I don’t have to be driven to violence.

Freedom from the need to bully others.

Freedom from shame and guilt, so that I can admit my mistakes and move past them. 

Freedom from hatred, so that I don’t have to be antagonistic toward those who are different from me.

Freedom from hopeless passivity, so that I can actually see a problem and go about addressing it, knowing that God is already there working on it.

Freedom from being polarized, so that I can actually consider the facts of the case, without feeling the need to constantly lash out at those who disagree with me, or constantly distort reality to fit my agenda.

Freedom to live a radically different life from those around me.

In sum, I’m grateful for freedom from the powers, principalities, and elemental spirits of the world, which are so clearly evident in the fragmentation of American society. We’ve been freed so that we don’t have to participate in that nonsense, which constantly results in violence and oppression. We’ve been freed from it so that we can model a different way, a way of radical community and trust.

This freedom is not inevitable or inherent. Jesus won these freedoms for us, but it takes work on our part to live up to it. May we recognize the work ahead of us, and embrace it willingly.

—John Coffey