Freedom

In my final blog on what I’ve termed “weighty words” we come to the word freedom. This might just be the simplest of all the words to get a definition on which everyone would agree. At it’s basic level I guess it just means you’re not constrained, or stopped from doing something or saying something. You’re “free” to do what you want. Taking it a little further, the idea of freedom can be applied to different things. We have freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, all of which convey that you’re allowed to say, write, or practice, whatever you want.

I’m writing this blog just a few days after the “Juneteenth” holiday here in the States, celebrating the official freeing of African American slaves by a proclamation given on June 19th 1865, in Galveston, Texas.  This brings to mind the obvious thing that the opposite of freedom is slavery. If you’re forced to do something against your will, then that’s not freedom. That’s slavery. And to be liberated from slavery into freedom must be one of the most profound and wonderful feelings of all!

Physical freedom

I think it’s worth thinking about freedom being applied in three different ways. The first is physical freedom, which is the simplest and most obvious. If a person or an object is physically free, then it can move freely and is not constrained. An object or a person is not tied down or in chains if they have physical freedom. However, if that object or person inadvertently wanders off a track and gets entangled or bogged down in something then they are no longer physically free. So, even with the idea of physical freedom we can see that it’s helpful to have tracks or trails to keep us in a region where that freedom is safe, or to follow a guide who knows where they’re going. Totally unbridled freedom is risky and can be dangerous.

Mental Freedom

By analogy, the idea of physical freedom can be extended to our minds. Mental freedom, or freedom of thought, means we’re free to think about whatever we want. Conversely, if we’re trapped by worries or “brainwashed” into holding a certain belief then we really don’t have mental freedom. Similarly to physical freedom, if your thoughts have no boundaries, and you let your mind wander into dark or crazy places, then you’re in danger of getting trapped by those thoughts, entangled and bogged down. So be careful where you let your mind wander!

Spiritual Freedom

And if you’ve read any of my previous blogs, you kinda knew where I’d end up, right? That’s right, there’s spiritual freedom and it’s opposite, spiritual bondage or slavery. In the Christian world view we’re all born as slaves: slaves to sin. What this means is, we might want to do the right thing, but we don’t have the freedom to always do it. We get trapped in habits and attitudes from which we can’t escape. Thankfully there is a way out. St. Paul wrote “For freedom Christ has set us free.” If you turn to Jesus and ask Him, He can set you free spiritually and mentally. Now that’s freedom!