Freedom – true freedom is not the choice to disregard the rules, but rather the choice to obey them.
When I was a little girl, I used to think that true freedom would be to do whatever I wanted to do without asking for permission or following anyone else’s rules.
As I grew older, I became – perhaps due to my upbringing, or perhaps just due to my nature – a good little rule-follower. I rarely rebelled against the rules and much preferred to follow them – albeit grudgingly – so that I would not get into trouble, but all the while I would seethe at the injustice of following rules like that. When I started dating my husband, my father had a rule that said that I needed to be home by midnight. There were various reasons for this rule. One reason for this rule was that it was safer to have his children safe and sound at home during the night than out and about. Another was that this was a way to ensure that we could more easily resist the temptation to make choices that would not be morally good. And also, it was a great way to weed out boys who were not really interested in protecting our integrity, and were merely out for a good time. And finally, it was considerate to my mother, who stayed awake waiting for us to return home each time we went out to make sure we were okay.
Because my husband and I decided to marry, this rule used to frustrate my husband very much. He would find it silly and arbitrary to have to return home at a certain time when we both knew that we would make good choices and stay safe, and we were both adults… He used to say that when we were married, we would stay out all night.
Since we were married over fifteen years ago, we have NEVER ONCE stayed out all night, and we probably only stayed out later than midnight less than five times in fifteen years. And this is because all of my father’s rules and the reasons for his rules were actually sensible. After all, despite that little inconvenience, those rules were helpful in helping me (and my husband) to achieve our goals during that time, which was to get to know each other and decide whether or not we could agree to be married to each other.
And I have been thinking about that today. You see, that reminds me of how we need to think of God and the Holy Will of God. Just as my father provided me with rules so that I could make the best choices under the circumstances to ensure that I would be able to do things that he asked me to, so too does God provide me with rules.
And freedom – true freedom is not the choice to disregard the rules, but rather the choice to obey them.
For the ONE true thing is that God – King of the Universe – will ALWAYS honour my freedom, even when I do not honour it myself and make myself a slave to sin…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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