True Freedom

It's legal now.

Six years ago, I attended the Thirteenth Commencement Ceremony of the Anchorage Wellness Courts.  I enjoyed watching men and women bearing the title, "The Honorable" speak alongside those who, due to various reasons, once answered to those judges.  Now the latter group of men and women celebrated their wellness with their once-sentencers.  

One of the presenters was a woman who graduated from the program after having paid her dues for a felony DUI that involved marijuana, a drug which, in Alaska, was legalized for possession two months prior to the Commencement.  For us, she connected the legalization and her wellness.  She said, "It's legal now, but I know that I won't start again."  Ironic - since the drug for which she once served time is now available at no legal cost.  Yet she said, "No, thank you."  

During this month that contains the day when many Americans celebrate our nation's freedom, we do well to consider freedom.  What is freedom?  How should we use it?  

In one of his letters intended to help early Christians navigate new waters, Paul quoted their everyday reasoning.

1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV)
 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.

Notice Paul's additions:  "not everything is beneficial" and "I will not be mastered by anything."    Paul would have enjoyed the Wellness graduate's words.  She figured it out.  Just because we can do _____ (you fill in), does not mean it is good to _____. 

What in your life are you doing because you can, yet is not in your best interest?  If you want true freedom, join the woman who in wisdom knew that legal does not necessarily equal helpful.

#ordinarylives

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