Faith Matters – Perpetuating Freedom

By Kirk Packer

We live within a culture and a nation that places a high value on freedom.  Many cultures outside of our nation look at our freedom with a certain amount of envy.  Many of them long to live in such a place that allows the freedoms of choice that we enjoy.

Kirk Packer, pastor First Christian Church in Sesser

However, if we are to perpetuate this freedom beyond our current generation, there are few worthy characteristics of freedom that must be understood.  First of all, our personal freedom is always limited.  What I mean by this is that as relational beings, we must always be willing to sacrifice desires for the sake of relationship with others.  We are created to live and thrive within relationships.  Relationships though, always require the suspension of our desires in order to meet the desires of another.  If we are unwilling to suspend our desires, we will find ourselves without relationship.  This is not a place any of us desires to be.  And so, we sacrifice for the sake of relationship.  Does this make us less free?  No, for we had the choice of which desires we would meet.

Another worthy characteristic of freedom is that you cannot have it without also being willing to submit.  This unfortunately is a word that many in our culture show nothing but disdain for.  However, you should know that it is absolutely essential for freedom to thrive.  So then where is our freedom?  Our freedom is in the blessing that we can choose to a certain extent who we submit too.  For instance, when I choose an employer, I am choosing who I will submit too.  When I choose a spouse, I am choosing who I will submit too.  When I vote for any kind of an official, I am choosing who I will submit too.  And finally, when I engage in worship, I am choosing who I will submit too.

The Packer Family

If we do not grasp the importance of these two characteristics of freedom, we end up giving our freedom away, rather than perpetuating it for the next generation.  This occurs when the basis of my relationships and who I submit to is all about what I get in the immediate.  Rather than looking at the real heart of people I am in relationship with, I simply look at what I think I can get from them.  Rather than looking at the heart of the people I choose to submit too, I simply look at what they are promising me.  Both of these fallacies eventually lead to the loss of real freedom.

So let us perpetuate freedom by understanding its limits.  For if we do not live within the limits of a blessing such as freedom, we end up losing that freedom.

(Kirk Packer is the pastor of First Christian Church in Sesser, located at 212 W. Callie St. (Phone – 618-625-5092 and email – sesserchristian@gmail.com.)