Freedom in Christ

 Freedom in Christ

Written by Hannah Shoue 

I recently saw a movie where a father and son discuss how the son will eventually take over a position of power from his father. The son expresses he isn’t sure he wants it. Rather than lecture the son about duty, the father responds along the lines of, “I felt the same way when I was your age. But know this: whether you choose to take my place or not, you’re already all I’ve ever wanted you to be: My son.” 

After the movie, this short scene between father and son stayed with me. In my Christian walk, I find it easy to get caught up in what I “should” be doing. I feel like I should be sharing about Jesus more often with others, I should be serving at church or volunteering in the community more, I should be practicing repentance, or fasting, or [insert spiritual discipline here] more. And while those are all good things to do, I often forget that in Christ, I am free.   

I believe that God is like the father in the movie I watched. God is looking at me with more love than I can possibly imagine, and God’s love is not contingent on any of the things I think I should do–as my pastor recently stated, we are human beings, not human doings. Simply being with God as His child is all God has ever wanted me to be. And it is God (verse 18), not me, that glorifies himself in me through transforming me to be more like him. That is true freedom.