Freedom, Truth, Joy ... in Spite Of It All

Spirituality Column #86
July 1, 2008
Current! In Carmel (IN) newspaper
Current! In Westfield (IN) newspaper

Freedom, Truth, Joy … in Spite of It All
Jesus brightens our path forward
By Bob Walters

"Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose … ", from the song Me and Bobby McGee, by Kris Kristofferson; sung by Janis Joplin, 1971

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free … ”, Galatians 5:1

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17

God’s gift of freedom, in the person of Jesus Christ, is in our redemption from past sins and in our hope for the future. Freedom is about opening the door before us; not about the door behind us, whether it is open or shut.

Freedom is about not being shackled to our past.

This July 4 we will celebrate 232 years of American self determination and independence. Not every American has had the same fair shake over that time, but the greatness of America has never been in our past.

The greatness of America has always been in our promise and opportunity for the future. The greatness of America is that anyone can become an American.

I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on whether or not “America is a Christian country.” Is the Creator, i.e., God, mentioned in the Declaration of Independence? Yes. Was every jot and tittle of the Declaration an expression of Christian philosophy? No, not even close.

In a reference from Christ’s Sermon on The Mount (“salt and light,” see Matthew 5:18), is it fair to call America a shining “city on a hill,” as did John Winthrop’s Puritan sermon of 1630? I think that’s a great description of America, but nothing about the Puritan way of life had anything to do with freedom as we would call it today. It was about the strictest of religious legalism and obedience.

American freedom and Christian freedom may not be exactly the same thing, but the freedom we celebrate July 4 is a gift from God any way we slice it.

Freedom provides the opportunity for the truth to be known … hence truth and freedom are interdependent on each other. Inasmuch as Christ very plainly tells us He is the truth (“I am the way, and the truth,” etc., in John 14:6), we should be able to add freedom and truth together and get joy.

Consider this: Joy is not about what we have to lose; it’s about the Holy Spirit within us and the hope we have in Christ.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) understands that declaring joy is easier said than done. Joy is the first casualty when freedom and truth are compromised.