Galatians 5:13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
I have been thinking lately about all the "freedoms" Christ has given me and how I relate to them. When I speak of "freedoms", I am speaking of all the things that God allows us to enjoy that when handled improperly, can control us. This might include things like our relationships, the internet, food, our hobbies, our work, etc.
I have been thinking on this because I have been struggling with one of my freedoms the last few months. God gave me a passion for photography and then an opportunity to use it to bless others. However, I said yes too many times and am just now starting to get out from under the weight of my overcommitment. This God-given passion became an obsession that took my time away from the things that matter most. My response is not to run from my freedom but to align it with God's will for my life and my time. For me that means placing some parameters around it that help me control how much time and energy I give to it. Before you give me credit, you should know that it was that or my husband wanted to become my scheduler.
Don't we all have things like that? Now that I am aware of it in my own life, I see it more clearly all around me. I know people who can't stay off of their iPhone apps or who live primarily for the next episode of their favorite TV show. I know teenagers who obsess over a boyfriend and parents who worship their children.
Galatians 5:13 says that we should not use our freedoms to indulge ourselves but to serve others. I think sometimes we forget that good things can even be bad when they become an obsession. For example, you don't have to be looking at something bad on the internet for the internet to take you away from where your attention need to be.
What freedoms are entrapping you? Can I go ahead and confess that a few years ago I was entrapped by the freedom to adopt. I spent WAY TOO MANY hours reading China Adopt Talk and obsessing over when it would be my turn. Satan is a perverter and his goal is to take our attention off of Christ and direct it towards ourselves and the things of this world.
I am going to work on keeping my freedoms in right perspective. I hope this encourages you to do the same.
2 comments:
I have struggled with this many times. You are definitely not alone! :) It's hard to sometimes know how much is too much.
It's so true, and as struggle for balance that I think many of us strive for all too often. I know that one of the tools Satan likes to use the most is our time. If he can keep us over-engaged, even in things that are good, he might successfully keep us from spending time in prayer and in the Word, from spending quality time with our families or other places that God wants us to be balancing our time.
Very good post, Ginny. You are a blessing to so many. I'm glad to be back reading your posts. And I'm loving all the Ruthie photos... She is getting SO big and entirely TOO adorable!!!
Hugs,
Tanya
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