To Be Free
For me, it was just another quiet evening on my dock, relaxing after a long day of work and watching for activity on my bobber. But for the bluegill who tried to steal the bait off one of my hooks, it turned into a rather traumatic evening.
One moment he was pulling on a juicy waxworm in anticipation of a tasty snack, the next he felt a sharp pain in his mouth and was being dragged in a direction he didn’t desire to go. Though he fought with all his might, he couldn’t break free.
Even more terrifying, he was pulled from the watery world he knew into one where it was difficult for him to breath. And worst of all, one of those “land giants” was now looking down on him. There was nothing the fish wanted more at that moment than to be released back into his familiar and comfortable environment.
The “bluey” was indeed dropped back into the water, but not until he was firmly locked into a metal stringer. And though back in the water, the stringer pinned him to the lake bottom. No amount of straining could change his dilemma. He was hopelessly trapped.
I don’t pretend to understand how a fish thinks, but on some level he must have been longing to fin freely through the water … swimming where he wanted to swim without restrictions – like he always had before. But suddenly he couldn’t.
Do fish feel frustration? Anxiety? Despair? If so, he must have experienced them.
But it was a fortuitous night for this particular fellow. I happened to receive a rather lengthy phone call shortly after catching him. As a result, no other fish were added to the stringer. I decided I didn’t feel like going through the hassle of cleaning just one. Since he was cleanly hooked and clearly still healthy, I let him go.
His longing was fulfilled; he was again finning freely through the green waters of Shamrock Lake. Does he do so with a new appreciation for his freedom? I don’t know. But I do know that if he makes the mistake of getting hooked by me again, his freedom will undoubtedly come to an end.
I’m not trying to humanize fish, or foster sympathy for them. I will still catch them, keep them and clean them. I enjoy eating breaded panfish fillets far too much to become a fish vegan.
However, we can certainly relate to that bluegill in this regard: we love our freedom too!
To be so profoundly blessed to live in a country where we have absolute freedom is no small thing. Yet, it’s a thing often taken totally for granted by all of us.
When was the last time we actually considered the freedoms we enjoy, and thanked our God for them? Generally speaking, we can live where we want, wake up when we want, and wear what we want. We can go where we want and stay there as long as we want. We can do what we want, eat what we want, buy what we want, read or watch what we want, hang out with whomever we want, and finally go to sleep when we want.
And these are the smaller freedoms! The value rises exponentially when we consider that we are free to say whatever we want however we want to whomever we want, and that we can freely vote for whomever we desire. Best of all, we are free to believe what we want, acknowledge the deity we want, and worship that god (our God!) however we see fit.
The places in the world where these freedoms exist are becoming fewer and fewer.
Of course, there is also the freedom from the condemnation of sin that our Savior, Jesus, has provided for us, as well as all the connected spiritual freedoms connected with knowing and trusting in our gracious God. Profound blessings that we can appreciate and celebrate openly because of the freedom we enjoy in our country!
God grant that we never reach the point when these freedoms are recognized only because we no longer have them … like a fish on a stringer beside the dock. Rather, may we constantly appreciate the blessings of being free … as a nation, and as a Christian.
Oh, what a treasure it is to be free.
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Passages on the Blessings of Freedom in a Nation
Psalm 33
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance. 13 From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; 14 from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—15 he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. …
18 … The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
Deuteronomy 28
1 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:
3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. … 6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. 7 The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. 8 … The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
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Passages on the Blessings of Freedom in Christ
John 8
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. … 34 Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Romans 8
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. …
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ …
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