Independence? or Freedom?

Today, the 4th of July, Americans acknowledge their independence. Through the years, that independence has translated into much more than a separation from the Mother Country. For most of us at CRLC, literally any of life's choices -- place of residence, education, occupation, recreation, travel, relationships, (to name just a few) -- can be made with total freedom and self determination. Add to that the capacity to change our minds, alter our path or decide for ourselves when to take a break. Indeed, we are both blessed and challenged with this vast landscape of opportunity.

Over the course of a lifetime a pattern of wise self determination can result in success, material gain, adventure, physical wellness (for some) and varied relationships. We are grateful for independence...and we are grateful for the leaders who have worked and the people who have given their lives to maintain our country's independence. The challenge enters the picture if independence blinds us to the freedom that our faith provides. Independence assures us that no entity has a restrictive claim upon our life. Our faith, however, assures us that God has claimed us: "I have called you by name, and you are mine." Isaiah 43:1b.

God's claim upon our identity and the life that emerges as a result of that identity's development to its fullest potential is made possible through grace, which was confirmed for us for all time through Christ. God's claim invites our total dependence upon God. That dependence unleashes a freedom to do amazing and miraculous things -- we soar above and beyond material, physical or temporal achievements.

When my children were small there was a record album they loved and played daily titled "Free To Be Me". Every song had something to do with a human characteristic that one might possess and how it could grow into something amazing and wonderful. It talked about physical skills, creativity, musical and artistic ability. The purpose was to encourage children to appreciate human potential and the unique traits each person embodies ... it was a good starting point, but had they stopped with its message they would still be skating on the surface of life.

At some point in faith development we hear about what it means to be free to be people of God. It has nothing to do with independence! It is about abundant availability, unconditional compassion and lavishly loving relationships. It is about life unfettered by the restraint that unfolds from a desire to protect or determine one's OWN plans. What seems to be freedom when we think of being independent may actually be a burden or prison when placed under God's lens. So often, our possessions or self determined roles serve to impede us from our potential when seen from the perspective of what is possible through faith.

So.... Happy 4th of July to you!!!!! Give thanks for the gift of the independence of Americans. Give praise to God for the freedom bestowed upon you as a child of God.