Freedom!

Yesterday afternoon I was folding laundry with my wife in the basement when our second daughter came running down the stairs (yes, in a very dramatic way).  She came to tell us that her younger sister had “let the dog out” and was now chasing her all over the neighborhood.  Really, she had been in the pen playing with the dog, and found that when she was finished playing and wanted to leave the pen, she was no match for the 70 lb lab mix who wanted to run.  Anyway, I went outside just in time to find her running past the house and down the street, eyes wide as if she was in big trouble.  I told her to stay home, and I jogged toward the end of the block where the dog was.  She wouldn’t come until I got close enough for her to realize that her fun was over and then she came right to me, worn out and panting.  When I got back to the yard, my youngest daughter was talking a thousand words per minute (not at all out of the ordinary), and the last thing she said was, “I’m sorry, Daddy.”  I told her that it was okay, but I didn’t want her running all over the neighborhood without supervision, so just to come get me if it happened again.  She stuck right by my side as we put the dog back into her pen.  After latching the gate, she looked up at me with her dancing brown eyes and said something like this, “It’s weird, but she kind of had a lot of joy while she was running.”  What a profound statement coming from a five year old.  She’s right.  Our dog looks like she is full of joy when she gets to take off running with no boundaries.  As far as kennels go, she has a pretty large space, but she likes to RUN.  Unfortunately, the neighbors don’t care for it too much. 

Now, you know me…  I try to find a lesson in everything.  As I have been thinking about this, some questions have come to mind.  How many times do we stay in our ”safe zones” when God calls us to so much more?  What happens when we throw off all that hinders us and experience true freedom in Christ?  We all know that God has put up some boundaries for our own good.  But what about those man-made boundaries, such as fear of the unknown or fear of what others will think?  What happens when we take away those man-made boundaries and pursue God with everything we have, no matter what He calls us to do?  What happens when we stop caring what the neighbors think, and serve Him fully?  I think that our joy, will be so evident, that everyone will notice.  Boy, I’m glad my five year old took advantage of this teachable moment so her daddy wouldn’t miss it! 

About four years ago, I overcame fear and went repelling down a 140 foot cliff.  It was at a Wild at Heart bootcamp.  No, it wasn’t pretty.  I was not at all in good shape, nor coordinated enough to even look like I knew what I was doing.  In fact, I hit the cliff numerous times on the way down.  BUT, I did it, and lived to tell about it.  My good friend who was with me developed the pictures and put them in a frame as a gift.  He included this quote from the movie Braveheart – “All men die; few men ever really live.”  What was William Wallace’s battlecry?  FREEDOM!!!  It gives me chills thinking about it. 

Let’s all bolt out of our “pens” today and enjoy the freedom we have in Christ!  Let’s all do something today to overcome a fear that we have.  Let’s scale the walls and experience the thrill of serving God with no reserves.

May we cast off all fear today, except the reverent fear of our Holy God, and may He grant us the courage we will need for the adventure!!