It’s that time of year when the temporary fireworks stands pop up all over the place, and people start reflecting on America’s history, and what freedom means. This year even more so than usual, as we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. Shockingly, most Americans today truly do not understand freedom. You would think in a country where that is our founding principle, freedom would be widely understood, but it in fact is not.
We tend to think of freedom as the lack of all constraints on the individual. He who is allowed to do whatever he wants is the most free. Progressives would take it a step further and include the ability to fulfill one’s desires as making them more free, often looking at it from a financial perspective. If you have a desire to visit Fiji but lack the money for a plane ticket, you are not as free as someone who can afford a ticket.
But this misses the meaning of freedom altogether. It’s based on our purpose or telos. A hammer isn’t free to turn a screw. But so what? It’s not designed for that. Now if a hammer wasn’t free to pound nails, then we’d have a problem. No matter how much you want to, you are not free to flap your arms and fly like a bird. Not gonna’ happen! But again, that’s not your design. That doesn’t make you less free. Biblical freedom really messes with the LGBTQ concept of freedom that is entirely self-determined, and therefore misses the mark.
And here’s where it gets really messy. We weren’t designed to live entirely independent lives. We were designed for community. Community with God and community with others. So if our freedom depends upon us fulfilling our purpose, and our purpose includes living in community, then the standard definition of freedom from constraints actually gets in the way of true freedom! Freedom from constraints would require having no obligations to family or friends. That would preclude marriage and having children. I wouldn’t be surprised if this misunderstanding of freedom is contributing to the worldwide crash in birthrates. Who wants to give up their freedom by being burdened with children? That’s rather sad and lonely.
If you truly want to be free, then you must live in such a way that fulfills your telos to the best of your ability. Disregarding your purpose may feel like freedom, but it is actually the opposite. It’s not freedom to disregard your purpose; it’s foolishness. If you want to live in true freedom this 4th of July, seek not to free yourself from all obligations, but willingly accept healthy obligations to others and fulfill your purpose to God.
