Freedom

The fourth of July has come and gone yet another year. With it came all the joys of celebrating it at home…bbq, homemade ice cream, and fireworks. Today we reflected and remembered the freedom we have in the States. The freedom to worship Gsd, the freedom to vote, the freedom to have a voice, and countless other freedoms we often take for granted.

As I thought about freedom today, a different type of freedom came to mind. Just as I often take the freedom of the US for granted, it is easy to take this freedom for granted as well. This freedom is even more important than the right to vote; this freedom is relevant for this life and the next. This is the freedom only found in ÁC.

Countless times in The Word, it refers to bondage in sin and then freedom in ÁC. We, as people, are born into a world of darkness—a life of sin. We are as captive to it as being chained to a pillar. The worst part is, we are blinded by the darkness of that sin and can't see we are being held captive. We would be without hope, BUT this all changed in ÁC. He alone holds the power to set us free. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36) With Him, we are no longer trapped in the darkness. We are made right with Gsd, and have a friendship with ÁC.

The heart wrenching part is that many don't know or understand this freedom. They live and often die in a dark world and have no hope. I remember walking through a large, poverty stricken city in South Asia on a previous trip and hearing the moans of street people. I remember walking around a man who cried out to a gsd who could not hear him. There was no freedom there. These people need hope, light, and freedom. They are holding onto a false truth that holds them captive. Instead they need The Truth. ÁC says himself, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32)

People need set free. But they first need to hear. That is why I go—to be a beacon of light in a region on darkness. Yes, sometimes it is overwhelming. Sometimes I feel unworthy of the Call to go. Sometimes I don't know how I will be able to be apart from the people I love most. Sometimes it seems unreal to think I will spend the next July 4^th in a land ½ around the world. Sometimes the task, the protocols, the logistics, the packing, the good-bye saying all seems too daunting. However, when the tears abate and I begin to listen to my Father, I remember why I must go. I must go so people who are not free can experience a freedom unlike any other. It is a freedom that comes at a cost, perhaps an even greater cost in South Asia than the US. A cost of family rejection, persecution, and sacrifice; a cost of dying to personal ambitions and desires. But the freedom found in ÁC is worth it! "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to Gsd, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life." (Rom. 6:22)