True Freedom

True Freedom

6/8/13

With every new terror event that is occurring in our world today it would be normal for us to be concerned about our safety and freedom.  In mankind’s eyes our ideas that we present sometimes go contrary to what others might think which brings further stress and strain to communities instead of the desired freedom that we intend to bring.  It is of great importance that God does not change in His ways and ideas, which provides another example that it is His true desire that we live in total freedom.  But in order for humanity to achieve this true freedom it is necessary for us to live within His established laws in order for this condition to be experienced within our lives.  Man shall always let us down, but God will not and cannot let us down in any capacity simply because while He cannot change He will find a way to lead back to Him.

I have spoken in the past about our oldest Dachshund whose name is Gizelle and how she has an underdeveloped cerebellum which affects her balance.  When the weather gets cold she struggles more to get around than when the weather is warm, but even in the warmer conditions her balance is not close to being as it could be.  Everyone that has met Gizelle or have heard about her condition sympathize with her.  And when we watch her cross the floor in the house or walk in the grass outside we are reminded of her desire to reach her destination in a timely manner.  And as I stand or sit watching her reach her goal I am reminded again that it is not only her will to be a part of the action around her, but it is also a will of survival when it comes to the necessities of her life.

About a year ago we took her to an animal therapist believing that she had a problem with her back.  We were trying to see if there were options for her that would provide her with more strength in her back or if there was a way possible to even strengthen her legs so that she could balance herself any more.  As the therapist saw her she grabbed her and immediately made friends with Gizelle.  She then put her on the ground and let loose of her, just to see what would happen.  Gizelle immediately took off after something that she had saw and as almost as quickly as she began she found herself on the ground lying on her side kicking those feet and legs of hers trying to get back up. 

The therapist told my wife that Gizelle did not have a back problem but that it was a development problem, her cerebellum to be exact.  The therapist began to explain that most animals that display this underdevelopment are euthanized as soon as the condition is discovered but on the other hand we were lucky to have her since she was unique from many other dachshunds.  The therapist picked up Gizelle and gave her a quick looking over with a simple examination included.  There is not much we can do for her she stated, but she also said that Gizelle knew her limit and had adapted well to them.  The therapist mentioned that Gizelle would always struggle with her balance and that it seemed like she had reached her plateau in that area, but she was amazed at the determination level of Gizelle and that would go along ways in her attitude during her life.

It is obvious to all who watch her that she so desperately wants to “run with the big girls” and do everything that they are able to do.  And when she attempts to run one can see the determination in her eyes that she wants to reach her destination first and not come in second which is the case 100% of the time.  Something always happens and she loses her balance and she takes a tumble and ends up arriving last, but she never quits and she eventually arrives.  Even though Gizelle reaches her destination “late” none of us have ever seen the disappointment or giving up attitude within her spirit. 

She serves as an inspiration to me in a way that one might not think about and that is how God is determined to reach our hearts even though as humans we have voluntarily placed so many obstacles in His path towards us that one could deem His overall purpose an impossibility.  But God does not give up on us no matter how many things we place in our lives to try and keep Him at a distance, His goal is for us to see Him and everything that He has for our lives, in other words true freedom in Him.

In a world where we are pursuing the perfect body conditions it would make sense that the mainstream thinking about living a limited life would be out of the question.  We have turned our hearts over to being pretty and strong and anything less than this image or condition will just not do.  How can we survive the harsh realities of the world when we are engaged in this charade of our true nature?  Why does it take an animal like Gizelle to bring us back into realistic standards of what can actually occur within our lives?  Even though Gizelle is an animal that has a handicap, she represents our lives on an overall basis that we as humans constantly ignore and that is we have eternal damage that we need to get worked on and we need to recognize this damage before it is too late.

I often watch Gizelle’s movements and want so badly for her to be able to walk correctly.  I understand that she knows her limits and I also understand that she has accepted them as a part of her life, yet she continues her daily activities with such desire and determination.  There is a story and concept here that we need to understand as well and it directly affects our lives in an eternal way.

As a “father” to Gizelle and I watch her daily movements, it is comforting to me that she is aware of the condition that she is living within.  She may or may not know everything about her condition or the reason why it is present within her life but she does know what it has does to her and she also deals with it on a continual basis.  The question I pose is this; do we as humans really understand what conditions that is within our lives, which place us into this same category as Gizelle?  When our creator stands over us looking at our movements does He have the satisfaction that we know our flawed conditions and we also understand our need for Him within our lives as well?

Some years ago a Christian artist by the name of Sandi Patti recorded a song that was entitles “You Set Me Free.”  It is an amazing song and one that I thoroughly enjoyed to listen to, which I still do to this day.  Part of this song goes like this:

                                    ‘CAUSE YOU SET ME FREE TO RUN

                                    THROUGH FIELDS OF LAUGHTER

                                    AND TO SING AS THOUGH I HAVE NO YESTERDAYS

                                    YOU SET ME FREE FROM MY BEFORES AND AFTERS

                                    FROM A DEBT I KNOW I’LL NEVER PAY

                                    WHEN YOU SET ME FREE

Every human on earth has the desire to be free and to be able to do anything or go anywhere that they wish, but we all know that not everyone is subject to this wish.  Yet, mankind continues its quest for this type of life and we read about the fruits of that search every day in the news.  I often sit and wonder, after reading these news articles, why man continues to look in the wrong directions for peace all the while failing to recognize our true inner conditions.  I ask myself have we hidden God from our hearts so much that we cannot even understand His meaning of freedom any longer.

The words to the Sandi Patti’s song above say it all.  God is the only one that can truly set our feet on solid ground which in turn will provide us with the freedom that we are continually seeking.  I understand that not every government will accept the fact the God is in existence but I do know that no matter what the government proclaims to be true is in fact the truth.  The mind that we have represents an extraordinary gift that God has given to which we have the power within us to make rational and knowledgeable choices, and with this concept our minds also possess the same decision capability to make decisions that do not seem logical in any form as well and keeps us from accepting the fact that we harbor a damnable condition that needs attention.  I know that seeking God is not a common feature that we choose to act upon first and that giving ourselves a shot at the “title” is more appropriate in our surroundings, but if we place God in control of our forethoughts then He will show us the correct choices before we have to stumble around trying to finish first.

My last example on this topic is of King David.  It has been said that David loved to dance before God as an expression of his freedom to worship God in his own way.  David was the king of Israel, the most popular man in the kingdom yet he found it necessary to have time to dance in such a manner that if anyone saw him they would think that he had lost his mind.  But David did not care who saw him or what they said about his style of dancing.  He was instructed to dance before God and he knew that if God wanted him to do something then he had to complete it without reservations.  This is a perfect example of freedom in such a manner that no matter what you do, you know that the effort that you are giving to the world and God is your best and most honest motions possible.

By dancing in the manner in which David chose, this states that he recognized his limits, faults and need for God.  It also strengthened the communication and relationship bonds with his creator.  Want to run through the fields of your heart and feel complete and total freedom?  There is only one way to have this type of freedom and that is by choosing God and His ways for your life.  There is not a day goes by that we are subjected to the down dragging processes of the world and it is easy for us to become discouraged with our current status.  God understands this process and He is waiting for you to open your heart to Him so that He may fill your days with laughter, security, comfort, joy and true peace.  No, not every day will be filled with roses but when God is present in your life there is a sense of security that only He can provide to you as you witness these events unfolding.

The events of the world are only going to become more complex and stronger against humanity.  The days will become more unsettling as men, nations and hemispheres try to adapt to all of the actions of man and nature.  Man did not have the answer to the conditions of our past nor will we have the complete answers to our current and future situations.  Only God has those answers and the true path by which to make our passage through these problems bearable.  Turn back to God and He will stabilize our lives from the inside, steady our ship if you wish to put it in those terms, because the waves will be high. 

Once you give control of your life to God you will find it much easier to understand what is happening with the worlds’ events and your own as well.  This knowledge will also open your heart enough to be prepared for what is coming and it will bring a complete trust of God in our lives that cannot be hidden from others; because as we have all watched at one point in our life how a person that is hopping and skipping down the sidewalk gets noticed.  Give God an opportunity to manifest His love through you so that you can feel completely free to run through those fields and restore that determination in your eyes to complete the course.  Recognizing our inadequate conditions is not a bad thing it is actually the first step in allowing the true freedom that God has provided for us to be released within our hearts.  God loves you and wants you to be totally free in this life through Him.

DLB