Freedom is a funny thing. It’s something those of us in the Westernized world value more than just about anything. We state that it’s the very reason for our existence as Americans. The source of our collective wisdom, Wikipedia, sates the following definition of Wisdom:
is the state of not being imprisoned, enslaved, or otherwise constrained, or more specifically:
- Free will, the ability of rational agents to exercise control over their actions, decisions, or choices
- Political freedom, the absence of interference with the sovereignty of an individual by the use of coercion or aggression
- Economic freedom, most commonly defined as the freedom to produce, trade and consume any goods and services acquired without the use of force, fraud or theft
I like the first part – “the state of not being imprisoned.” Slavery is an awful dehumanizing practice. Sadly it’s still continuing in our world – it didn’t end with the Emancipation Proclamation or with the Civil War. I heard a pastor once say that there are more slaves and slave traders today than there has ever been in human history.
I don’t have any experience with that kind of slavery – Thank God. However, I do find that slavery of a different level can be a huge piece of my every day life. Slavery to clock, slavery to the financial responsibilities that I have and more. Feeling trapped by some circumstance or situation just plain stinks. My oldest son told me this morning that he loved our new house more because he felt it was more peaceful than our previous place. I laughed – I haven’t felt that peace and freedom, I’m too busy unpacking and worrying about the 5 foot tall grass in the back yard. I’m not finding peace – I’m enslaved to the process of just trying to find peace.
Now that slavery is one thing, but what about other things I could be enslaved to: technology, my desire to be authentic instead of fake, fear, anxiety, whatever? I wonder how many of us, in the joy of experiencing freedom, are really in bondage to something? Have you ever thought of being in slavery to something? I know I don’t. I don’t think about my schedule or my way of doing things as being slavery, but in reality, a lot times that’s exactly what I feel.
Jesus said that he came to bring us Freedom and Life Abundant. Are there things that we traded our freedom for? They maybe things that are “good” but maybe we’ve let these good things enslave us? Maybe it’s time to take a minute and just wonder: What could I be enslaved too?
