I think I've always wanted to fly. I used to love skiing, as a child, though I've not actually had the chance to do it since I was a teenager. The nearest I get to flying these days is whizzing down the hills on my bike with the wind in my hair.....wheee!!! One of my favourite composers (I have many!) is Sibelius, and I sometimes sit with my eyes closed, listening to one of his symphonies, imagining I am gliding over beautiful mountain ranges like an eagle. Flying represents freedom.
Jesus spoke a lot about being free. He said that if we abide in his word, we shall know the truth, and the truth shall make us free. He also said that if He makes us free we will be really free. (See John's gospel chapter 8)
In our society today we talk a lot about the importance of having freedom of speech. But there has never been, nor ever will be, true freedom of speech. We have to fit into the norm of what is fashionable at the time, or we are ostracised and criticised.
True freedom, of course, is the freedom that Jesus offers. It is not the freedom of pleasing ourselves, because our selves are actually hard task masters who are more like slave drivers whom we have no choice but to obey. Nor is it freedom to serve materialism, because living to acquire more and more possessions gets a hold on us and we end up its slave also. The list goes on.... what about serving a skill, like being a committed musician or sports personality? There are rewards, but perfection always eludes us and many find their relationships suffer because of the huge demands on their time and energy.
So what is the freedom that Jesus draws us into? It is actually the freedom not to please ourselves, not to serve money or family or prestige or reputation or perfection. It is a place of being content with what we have, who we are and where we are. Flying.
No comments:
Post a Comment