Pendulums Swings Like Pendulums Do…

Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Most of us are waiting for the “or else”… the punishment if we do not do as we should… the stick versus the carrot.

Is freedom the carrot? Or is it the stick? Does it change its stripes for different people and places?

What is this thing we call free? Is it NO COST? If I want something, can I just take it?

What is this thing we call free? Is it NO LAW? No one can tell me what to do. “YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME!”

What is this thing we call free? Is it NO OBLIGATION? “I AM MY OWN PERSON! The only one I owe allegiance to is MY triune god – me… myself… and I!”

I have always imagined the human spirit as a pendulum and the human condition as motion generator. When it (we) gets wound up, it swings from extreme to extreme – PURSUING THE ISSUE OF IMPORTANCE. I don’t believe it will ever stop swinging nor do I think we should strive for complete stillness. That would mean we were DEAD! As long as there is breath in the body, a mind that can process information, and a soul that seeks to know and be known, we will always be SWINGING, so to speak.

I do believe the extremes become less extreme and the pendulum swing becomes less explosive when it hits the wall that will send it to the other side. In my younger days (many moons ago), I would hit the wall of YOU MUST ALWAYS with every intent to smash it to smithereens. With scars to show for the results, I don’t insist on hitting the wall anymore. I still swing into the territory of legalism and judgement (and maybe spend TOO MUCH time in the rarified air) but fortunately at my age there isn’t as much need to PROVE I’m THE ALPHA FEMALE.

On the other side, the side where i need no to tell me anything. I probably have just as many scars from pretending and insisting that I have NO… NADA… ZIP feeling of remorse for building my shiny temple to the god of “The Cake I can eat and Have It Too”! Hitting the wall of this extreme is not the same as smashing the wall of legalism. When this wall falls due to extreme violence, people and relationships are put to death with the possibility of never being resurrected.

Our spirit… the pendulum… though it swings both ways, chooses which side it longs for. Freedom is one of the “swinging pursuits” every man, woman and child has in their soul DNA.

We are CALLED to freedom… Let freedom swing!

But what is it?

Is it no cost – no law – no obligation – series of events that PROVE our independence?

Or is it the core of our being that CHOOSES to give up our independence in order to know and be known through COMMUNION?

Matthew 22:37-40 And He (Jesus) said to him (a lawyer), “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Communion… fellowship NOT forced group think… desire NOT rules… connected NOT chained. Communion – to know and to be known by God and by our fellow mankind.

No cost? Jesus paid the price, yes (Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.) However, there WAS A COST! And yes the gift is free, there is nothing you do or can do to earn it, EXCEPT receive it! We can not buy God’s gift but we must surely take it and APPLY it to our lives for it to have any value to us.

No law? No obligation? Love doesn’t require an agenda – a list of do this/don’t do this – but love STRIVES to LIVE TOGETHER in peace, knowing and being known as lovers.

I believe freedom is the ABILITY to choose (we are no longer slaves to the selfish nature sin left us with). Freedom is the OPPORTUNITY to choose communion (rather than independent living). And freedom is the CHOICE to live in relationships of love.

Do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh… there is no stick waiting at the end of this statement. The apostle Paul is not going to give you all the gory details of the punishment for not following the rules of engagement. BUT… we must remember… there are CONSEQUENCES – cause and effect – of every choice.

Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Once your choices have given your loyalty to a master… manna – the world – self… you become bound by the yoke of slavery. The worst master, the most unforgiving taskmaster, the least likely to turn you free is usually… wait for it… your SELF!!!!!!

There is slavery and it indeed has a yoke that allows for no physical freedom which was not instigated nor agreed to by any choice the person made. I am NOT minimizing NOR saying the victim of such slavery is in any way responsible for their horror.

I am talking of the slavery that comes from the treasure of our hearts. The slavery that damns us if we do – because it is NEVER ENOUGH. And the slavery that damns us if we don’t – because the OPPORTUNITY is LOST.

I am not talking of the freedom to do and say whatever we want to.  I am talking about the freedom of love – the freedom to TRULY LOVE…

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

Love does not not enslave us… IT NEVER FAILS! (1 Corinthians 13:8)

Pendulums Swing like Pendulums Do…

Me – Myself – I … or… Communionity of Love

To live independently …or… to know and to be known…

Ours is the FREEDOM TO CHOOSE!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible