Spiritual Freedom
| Now the Lord
is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2
Cor. 3:17, RSV. |
When you ask people
to name the most spiritual person they know, you get an amazing array of
answers. Some think of people in the Middle Ages who walked on cold floors
with bare feet and made sure their stomachs were always growling. Those
who admire this kind of individual have a dark suspicion that submitting
to harsh circumstances and even cruel superiors must be very spiritual.
Perhaps it’s because they think of God as harsh and cruel.
Others will suggest people
who are quiet and gentle—pious individuals who never make quick moves or
loud sounds and who certainly never do anything spontaneous or fun. Perhaps
again their admirers worship a very uptight God.
But it’s clear this is not
what Paul had in mind when he looked for the signs of a truly spiritual
person. He knew that when the Lord’s Spirit touches the core of someone’s
life, they discover freedom. Paul thought of people whose faces are brighter,
whose steps are lighter, and who know a wonderful creativity and boldness
as they face life.
We’re not talking about a
reckless freedom, an irresponsible license to indulge hurtful desires.
Rather we’re discussing freedom from the fear of rejection, freedom from
the need to ask other people’s permission to forgive oneself. This is freedom
to grasp life at a new level and grow in directions of one’s own choosing.
It is freedom from the fears of failure that have haunted us since childhood
and kept us from launching into life as a daring adventure. Such freedom
taps our most creative juices and allows us to become the unique, one-of-a-kind
persons God intends for us to be.
Jesus spent a lot of His
ministry setting people free from the false notions about His Father taught
by the religious establishment of the day. His fresh understanding of spirituality
still lurks today on the edges of our souls, waiting to break us free!
We must believe His words: “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free
indeed” (John 8:36, RSV). That’s good news!
| How is your spiritual health? What
can you do to experience the freedom Jesus offers you? |
|