As a missionary living in a foreign country, I see many things that go against what I know to be culture. Here in Albania, things I see on a day to day basis can be very different to things I would see daily back home. I come from a culture of "freedom", a culture that has fought to have and protect its lifestyle of freedom for decades and been proud of it. I come from a place where freedom is our motto, yet I now live in a place that seems so backwards when it comes to freedom.
Albania survived a 50 year communist rule and has been "free" from that for over 20 years now. However, as an outsider looking in, it is easy to see the ways that communism still controls this land and its people today. For example, I teach 11-14 year girls basic schooling three days a week. I teach them reading, writing, Bible, math and art. Aside from the obvious differences of the way a Roma gypsy girl is supposed to dress and act, it is particularly during our art classes that I see the remains of communism still dictating the decisions of girls who were born after its fall in their nation. When I give these 5 girls a simple coloring page, time after time I see 4 of them wait as the oldest one begins to choose how to color in her page. Little by little the remaining four begin to copy the coloring EXACTLY as the first one has done it. Time and time again I have asked/pleaded with/bribed the girls to use their OWN imagination. I have even offered higher than possible grades for the most original and on one occasion dealt out a "zero" grade to copiers. However, even as they are learning to use their own minds, they severely struggle to break free from the ease that comes from copying someone else, from being meek and helpless followers of one who dictates their lives The root of this is in communism and the way that people lived scared for their safety if they stood out from the "norm". The big problem I see in all of this is that these girls have never lived under communism at all. Their parents and grandparents would have, so how strong is the hold of this thing if it can influence the lives even of those born after its fall? This is not freedom...
So, I find myself asking, what IS freedom?
I suppose the definition of this word can be very broad. For example, if you were a prisoner for 40 years, you would consider a nice apartment and a decent job a huge freedom. However, if you are stuck in a rut in your career and find yourself pushing just to get out of bed each day because you cannot stand the thought of another day doing the same old thing, then freedom might mean something completely different to you.
For the purpose of this blog, I am going to define this word from a Biblical point of view. I also want to challenge the typical western view of "freedom", and I want to question how free anyone really is.
What is "freedom"? What is this word? Nations are currently fighting bloodied battles over it, but do we REALLY know what it means? And based on the answer to that, does anyone know what they are really fighting for?
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Freedom as this: the quality or state of being free as in:
A. the absence of necessity, coercion or constraint in choice or action
B. liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another
....
When I look at the first definition (A) given by Webster, I applaud the writers for getting it exactly right. This is the precise worldly definition of what we tend to think freedom should be. It seems we have come to live in a world where an individual should be able to do, say, think and act as they want (even as far as hurting themselves physically, emotionally or spiritually) and no one should say or think anything about it, because he/she should be granted the freedom to do/live as they please regardless of the outcome. This, to me, seems a bit of a sad place to have landed in the process of social evolution. Why???
Well, let's apply this idea to some of the situations you or your family may have faced or may one day face. Imagine, the average person goes to school, gets a job, gets married and starts a family. When you have that first baby, you are extra careful to do everything just right because you do not want to do anything that may harm that baby in any way. If he/she walks towards a pot of boiling water with arms outstretched, full of curiosity and ready to touch, you will quickly move Heaven and earth to make sure that the baby does not hurt him/her self.
However, when we apply the laws that society has begun to enforce among us, things begin to dramatically change. We now live in a society that bans several different forms of punishment a parent may administer to a child. So, when that baby reaches for something that might hurt them, you as a parent have to think twice about how to react. Can you quickly grab the baby and slap their little hand to teach them that they cannot do such things? In many places you cannot. The baby has the right to touch the scalding water is he/she pleases. The parent then chooses whether to lose their baby to CPS because they were burned with scalding water OR because they got caught spanking their baby in a state that bans such discipline.
I know this is a bit of an extreme example, but I am trying hard to point out a harsh truth. Do we, Americans/western cultures, REALLY understand freedom? Let's look at it from some other points.
Here in Albania, and I am sure in many other countries like it, it is easy to point out flaws and "non-freedoms". For example, a woman is always expected to serve the men in her house (husband/father/brothers) because in this culture males are higher beings than females. It would be silly of her to ask why she is to be the one cleaning the house while her brother is out playing with his friends and doing as he pleases. It would be silly for her to ask this question because in her culture the answer is simple: You are a girl. It is very easy to look at a situation like this, point and say "THAT is NOT freedom". However, how much freedom do we as Westerners really have? I am beginning to realize we do not have nearly as much as we think we have.
I remember when I lived as an average twenty something in the states. I spent all my time working, thinking about career opportunities and worrying about how to pay the bills. I was not free. I was in a rut and I was miserable most of the time. Many people look at America and want to go there so they can have our freedom. I encounter many of them here in Albania, and when I ask they what kind of freedom they want, or how they think their life will be different in America, every time the answer is material possessions. They want the beautiful home with the swimming pool, the fancy car the loads of money. Nearly every week I am approached by someone who fantasizes about living the "American Dream". They even use those very words. However, when I think about how their life will actually be in the states, it seems more likely to me that they will be a slave to several jobs for a long time before they see any sort of financial freedom. Even beyond that, today I dare to question, IS financial freedom all we really need? Or is there more? Let's look into the possibilities together...
Mr. Smith is a successful business man in his late 50s. He has everything his mind and body could think to desire. He has a beautiful wife of many years, who has kept herself looking trophy-like through various operations. He has a son who has graduated from Harvard Law and is successfully suing the pants off of anyone he can find, all while paying off his OWN student loans. He has one daughter who is finishing her masters in business and political science, who he has high hopes of leaving his company to one day, that is if she doesn't run for public office as is HER dream. He has a large home, spacious enough for any amount of guests and any size party event. His second home is hidden away next to some sort of body of water and he enjoys vacationing there from time to time to relax. However, last month Mr. Smith's beautiful wife decided to surprise him at the "lake house" and brought the kids down to enjoy the weekend together as a family. It turned out to be a surprise indeed, as his family discovered him in full on relations with his hired mistress for the afternoon. Now, the truth is beginning to come out about the porn addiction that Mr Smith has entertained for a little over 45 years now and how from time to time, that leads him to seek out new and exciting ways of entertaining himself. Now Mr. Smith has lost his wife of many years, along with the respect of the community and his children. Is Mr. Smith really living in freedom? Or is he bound to something so powerful that no amount of money can set him free?
Ok, I will admit to you that Mr. Smith is a fictitious character and I made him up for the purposes of this blog. However, how many of you know a person like Mr. Smith? Male or female, sex addiction has no boundaries. Maybe you ARE Mr. Smith. We are all human and all fall prey to the temptation of lust and sexual immorality. But do we HAVE to? If we choose to live in Webster's "A" definition, then by all means, live free and talk yourself out of your immoral decisions. It is not a hard thing to do. Many Christians even live this way, creating excuses like "God's grace covers me through it all", or "I know its wrong, but its so natural and everyone has needs... will this really send me to hell?" The answer is no, it will likely not send you to hell (the sexual immorality in itself), but let me ask you this: ARE YOU FREE?
I could go into all sorts of sin and selfish living examples that would pose the same question: Are we really free? Are we hiding secrets from those around us that eat us away from the inside out, because we know if they come out they could destroy all or parts of our very lives? Is this true freedom?
Let's look at the brilliant Mr. Webster's "B" definition of "Freedom"...
Liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another
Are you really in control of your life? Or are there parts of it that lay in the hands of another person, entity or addiction? Are you free enough to say that your work does not define you, or are you so determined to have that "American Dream" we all talk about, that you will sell out who you really are to work 80 hour weeks to support your need for "stuff"? There are many obvious addictions in the world today. Sex/drugs/alcohol/abusiveness etc. However, when we truly question our own lives, will we find that we are addicted to things that have never seemed so big? Are you addicted to personal belongings and maintaining a certain financial status quo? Do you feel like if you have a 20 year old car in the driveway because it is gas sufficient, that your neighbors will think less of you? Or is it more about how you look when you show up at work? Do you have to have the latest and greatest labels and designer clothes/accessories? Or, maybe it is about how you look when you pull up into the church parking lot on a Sunday morning. Surely everyone will know how great your life is if you pull up in your just detailed, next year's model Escalade? Surely if you present yourself well from the very moment you pull into the parking lot, no one will see the you inside who is slowly dying from lack of self worth. They also will not see the you crying out in desperation for change, and they most certainly will never guess that just last night as your spouse and kids were fast asleep, you very seriously considered suicide. No, no... if you present yourself well... wrap up that outer package with things that make life look 110%, then people will not know the really you. The you that is TRAPPED....
Oh...wait. That can't be freedom, now can it?
You see, as Christians I have found many different freedoms in Christ and His love and His sacrifice for me. I have found freedom from the sins that held me down. I have found the freedom to live my life as the ME he created me to be, rather than following the beaten path. I have also, many many many times, lost that freedom and felt hopeless in the midst of everything, even living out my dreams. You see the true definition of freedom is not what is written in Websters at all. It is lifestyle. It is in the fight. In Galatians chapter 5 we are advised to get free and STAY FREE.
Galatians 5:1 (NLT): So Christ has truly set us free. Now, make sure you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.
Galatians 5:1 (MSG): Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.
Freedom is about a constant lifestyle of fighting to keep the freedom Christ has won for us. Our bodies, our minds, our will and emotions will try to take us the way of the world and we will want to copy the world. In the same way it seems easier for my school girls to copy their drawings off of each other, for a Christian the worlds paths, culture and way of doing things will often seem more attractive in certain moments. We are human beings striving to be closer to a Heavenly Father. He wants to embrace us. Will we let him? Or will we hide?
This is not about who's culture is better, more evolved or even more free. This is about the culture of Christianity and where our boundaries are set in the world we live in. This is about the culture of Christianity and the bloodline that was bought with a high price... the life of the only God-man who ever walked this earth. This is about the culture of Christianity and warring for it, because it is precious and priceless. This is about us, and WE are precious and priceless to the Father God. He wants more for us than just leading lives of secret shame. He wants to burst through the walls that pain, shame and sin have built in our lives, whether it is sin we have committed or whether it is sins committed against us. This is about the culture of Christianity and deciding whether or not we believe He sees a value in us. This is about the culture of Christianity and whether or not we deem HIM worthy of the sacrifice of our very lives. This is about Freedom. True Freedom.
Thanks for reading,
Julie
