On Freedom

 Gal 5:1  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 

I know that this verse is inconsistent with the story, but it is a reminder of something that I treasure in my heart.

For over half my life, one of the biggest desires of my heart (Psalm 37:4) was freedom.  It didn't matter in what form it came, if I knew I had freedom, it was bliss to me.

I was reminded of that today when watching the news.  There was a college student that walked hundreds of miles in more than a fortnight to reach his destination school, all to raise money for the homeless.

This lit a fire in my heart, not the matter of the homeless (which I also have a heart for), but the mere idea of just simply...walking.  Walking...to wherever you need to be.

In the winter, when spending the night in town, I usually walk to work.  It was about a mile each way, and it took between 20-30 minutes.  There is a bike trail in town that I use.  Still, it felt good not to have to drive to work.

Anyway, I had this idea:  Why not try to talk to a nearby town from where you currently live?  I currently live in the country.  The nearest town is between 4-6 miles away.  Walking will take me about two hours one way.  I thought to myself, "Why not?"  There is also a trail that I use near home.  I used that trail one time to bike to that town, just because I could.  The round trip took about two hours.  So again, why not?  

Other kinds of freedom I enjoy is being able to do things without modern technology, or buying things at the thrift store instead of buying them brand new.  Maybe it's contentment that I love (Hebrews 13:5). Perhaps it's God opening my eyes to practical ways of living I've never previously considered.

Right now, this is the best I can do to articulate the positive feeling I have right now.  Yes, there's much negativity to report in the world, especially in modern Christianity.  The deluge of false churches and false doctrines (Jer 5:27a  As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit...) are an obvious testament to that.  Yet, not everything in life is doom and gloom.

Oh, here's something to chew on regarding those negative and positive times:

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
(Ecc 3:1-8)