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"People fear the responsibility of being free." ~ Brennan Manning
I remember hearing something like this years ago and it baffled me. The responsibility of being free? How can responsibility and freedom go together? As a young man I thought that freedom meant throwing responsibility to the wind...to be free and without a care.
But the older I get the more I understand that true freedom means more than living a carefree life. I have been set free at great cost to others, most importantly my God who willingly gave His Son to purchase freedom for me.
But there are others...
Parents who sacrificed their wants and desires to provide food and shelter.
Teachers who went through years of training to be able to teach me even with my shitty attitude towards them.
Military men and women who do not fight for political ideologies or parties...but because they believe in the dream of America, they fight for those they left back home, they fight to protect loved ones and dissenters alike.
Policemen and firemen and every other emergency services who fell a call to protect us from evil men and all manner of tragic circumstance (fire, accident, illness).
Farmers and ranchers who raise our herds and grow our foods so that we have the convenience of walking into an air conditioned grocery store and setting our paper money on the counter to buy not just a meal...but hours of someone's sweat, toil and sore muscles for our belly's sake.
Pastors and other spiritual mentors who give themselves up to study and prayer, seeking the face of God and standing in intercession for their communities.
Doctors, dentists, nurses and all the health care providers who train for years for the opportunity to heal our hurts, diagnose our problems and make us whole.
Government officials (senators, representatives, etc.) who desire to represent their constituents and protect the rights of the people, putting in long hours far from home.
And the list goes on and on of the countless men and women who use thier "freedom" to better our community...our nation...our world.
It would be (IS) so easy to focus on the negative ones in these fields and point out all kinds of evil...
Corrupt Cops...
Negligent Doctors...
Abusive Parents...
Deceptive Senators...
But that is too easy! There will always be evil men and women in positions of authority and power and they get far too much attention!
What of all the people who go through life and serve faithfully? For every "bad" pastor in my community, I'll bet I could find twenty faithful and genuine men and women who love God and pursue holiness!
For every corrupt cop, there are so many more that are good men and women who fulfill their oaths with integrity!
For every doctor who commits malpractice, there are so many more that perform their craft with all diligence!
But the question of the day rests with you...
What will you do with your freedom??
Will you throw responsibility to the wind? Living selfishly?
Do you fear this free life and bind yourself up with rules and weigh down others with even more rules?
Or will you serve others and make yourself a meaningful contributor to the community you live in?
Or...will you just bitch about everyone else and how they fall short (never looking in the mirror)?
The Apostle Paul said that it was, "...for freedom that we have been set free, only do not use your freedom to satisfy your own lusts."
How will you live?
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