What Freedom Means to Me

Around 2000 years ago, Jesus said to a crowd of people who had come to hear him speak "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." Freedom to me means freedom from the shackles of sin & death. Jesus achieved this freedom for me by taking the punishment for my sins on the Cross.

God's love for me in Jesus Christ has also given me a confidence I can carry with me everyday. Because I know that I am loved, I am freed from the need to constantly seek the approval and affirmation of others. I am free to be me. Nothing anybody says to me can undermine the fact that I am of worth.

Confident in God's love for me, my life then becomes one of taking up the challenge of "loving my neighbour as myself" and even "loving my enemies."

Freedom to me is freedom from sin & death, freedom to be me & freedom to love dangerously.

 




Comments

  1. Momoka ItayaMay 4, 2021 at 11:09 PM

    I never thought that religious belief can be so deeply related to someone's freedom. When I hear the word freedom what comes to my mind is freedom from time, to speak up, and so on. So even a one word can mean completely different to each of us.

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    Replies
    1. David WoodfieldMay 9, 2021 at 6:16 PM

      Hi Momoka, it is indeed interesting how there are many facets to words such as freedom, courage, loyalty, love and so on. Our background will influence our understanding of these 'big concepts' but we can also develop our understanding of them throughout our lives through our reading, discussions and experiences. David :-)

      Delete
  2. Maiko NoboriMay 5, 2021 at 4:56 AM

    I'm deeply impressed by the freedom you mentioned, "freedom to be me." Do you mean it means you have the strong confidence? I also think it means we can express ourselves freely. Probably, freedom has various meanings or definitions depending on people. So discussing freedom is so interesting, isn't it?

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    Replies
    1. David WoodfieldMay 9, 2021 at 6:23 PM

      Hi Maiko, yes I think 'freedom to be yourself' is related to feeling the freedom & confidence to express oneself openly. If we don't have the confidence to say how we feel because we feel others might reject us, we don't really know the freedom to be ourselves. Of course, having the confidence to say what you think & how you feel, doesn't mean you don't communicate with others with sensitivity and consideration of their feelings. One should respectfully say how they feel. David :-)

      Delete
  3. Mahiro AkaiMay 5, 2021 at 5:04 PM

    It's interesting that religious influences what is freedom. Do you think people who believe in same religious have same thought in freedom?

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    Replies
    1. David WoodfieldMay 9, 2021 at 6:42 PM

      Certainly one's religion will have an impact on how one understands freedom. Martin Luther King and other civil rights activists drew upon ideas of freedom & equality in the Bible when they challenged the US government to grant black people racial equality in the 1960's. At the same time, though, many religions are broad enough to allow for a range of understandings of concepts such as freedom, love and duty. among their adherents. There is, however, often debate about the meanings of such concepts among followers of particular religions, with members of different parties presenting the case why their particular idea about, say, 'love' is superior. Such is the human condition, that we have to think carefully in the pursuit of truth. Jesus did say though "Seek and you will find."

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