“FREEDOM!” ~ William Wallace
“In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat.” Isaiah 10
Okay, so I wanted to share some of what I learned about freedom while I was in Russia for my third and possibly final post on Russia. At the same time I really wanted to share this picture which was one of my top 5 favorite memories possibly in my lifetime. If you look very closely at this picture you can actually see the milk flying into my mouth straight from the utter. No need to stop for pasteurization here! I then thought maybe I could make a couple of “little stretches” to freedom to this picture. Never in my life have I had the FREEDOM to drink milk straight from the utter of a cow. Cows are also animals that wear yokes just like we are encouraged from Isaiah and throughout the rest of the bible that our yoke of slavery is now broken. With the yoke of slavery broken that means we have… you guessed it freedom.
Okay enough of my “sermonesque stretches.” The biggest lesson I learned over the course of the week comes from the countless stories of my new found brothers and sisters in Christ across the pond in Russia. For me personally the constant struggle of growing from a slave to sin into a slave to Christ (Romans 6) is still very real in my life. There is no doubt in my head knowledge and understanding of scripture that God desires a freedom for us that is like no other. This freedom is huge in how we live our lives. To live a life as a christian without understanding what it means to be free leads to a distorted and whacked out view of true faith. This lack of freedom leaves a desire for the world. Without this freedom filled life, the christian life can feel and appear obligatory and more like a list of what you can’t do than what God promises us with freedom through Christ. My heart has been broken multiple times in ministry when talking to students that have seen this christian walk as a burden. 1 John 5 reminds us that God’s word is not burdensome. Rather God’s word should bring a reality of freedom like no other.
So what does this have to do with Russia? In the time spent with over 115 EX-drug addicts I began to see and enjoy the freedom they were experiencing. To watch a man who was addicted to heroine on Thursday turn around and praise God for freedom two days later before all the other men was one of the most beautiful scenes and testimonies I have ever experienced. As I stood there I thought about the things I struggle with and the addictions in my life both big and small. The conclusion I began to come to was that really all of my addictions were small in God’s eyes. Here were grown men crying out to God for freedom, receiving freedom and praising God for it in miraculous time. Why have I not experienced this freedom in my life? I have begun to ask myself some tough questions about my addictions. Do I really want freedom from this addiction? Do I truly believe God could free me from this addiction? Am I at a place where I am ready to quit? Can I humble myself enough to cry out to God and simply ask? What’s missing? The triune God that these Russians cry out to as Father and Lord is no different than the one I cry out to. So what is the difference? I am beginning to learn more and more that this is more about me and less about who God already is. God created me in His image to worship Him. His Son came to earth, lived a perfect life, was crucified for my sins and then resurrected in order that I may walk in freedom, and lastly God sent the holy spirit to empower us to walk in this freedom. This freedom is true. This freedom is real. God is waiting for me to cry out.
The last image that comes to mind is when I take the leash off of my dog Jake. The few times I have done this, at first he looks at me in shock. He can’t figure out what is going on. Then he is uncertain about what to do next. Finally, he runs at full speed without a hindrance. The freedom Christ promises us through the cross is this reckless full speed joyful life. This is the Christian walk that I saw in my brothers in Russia. Am I living in this freedom? Are you?
