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Countries fight for it.  People are willing to die for it.

Freedom is the fundamental right that’s been given to us by God.  It is the freedom to choose.  Freedom, however, is thrown around these days, with many preconceived notions that are often misunderstood or sometimes outright inaccurate.

The world’s definition of freedom is the ability and choice to do whatever one desires.  Take freedom of speech: you can say whatever you want, whenever you want.  But many people think that God’s freedom is less than this.  The truth is far more complex than the word lets on.

The Declaration of Independence proudly states:

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

The freedom that we call hold dear is said to have been endowed by our Creator and are unalienable.  But today, I think many people have a very limited view of what freedom really means.  The writers of the Declaration of Independence knew how important these rights and freedoms are…to the point that they should right them down.  But today, their writings have come under intense scrutiny, with many courts deciding how they should be interpreted.  But perhaps the freedom that God has promised is much more similar than what we’ve made it to be.

When I was a college student, I had a horrible time managing my money.  I was up to my eyeballs in debt.  I wasn’t making much money, but I wanted to buy lots of stuff.  That’s when a friend taught me how to budget my money.  Honestly, it was incredibly frustrating.  I felt like I couldn’t buy what I wanted anymore because I could only spend inside my budget.  But to accomplish this, I had to keep track of every penny I spent.  But after about 6 months, My attitude began to shift from frustration to liberation.  I no longer felt like I was being restricted.  It was actually the opposite.  I felt free!

It may sound confusing because you would think restrictions on how I spent my money would have felt, well, restricting.  Isn’t the very definition of freedom to do whatever you want?

This is where I began to understand God’s definition of freedom.  See, I didn’t feel free to because I was restricted in my finances.  I felt free because I no longer spent wildly without caring about my bills.  I controlled my spending, instead of the other way around.  I now know exactly how much money I can spend and if I can afford something I want.  No longer was I going further into debt.  I was, and still am, making my way out.

This kind of freedom has allowed me to purchase a house!  It has allowed me to spend more money because I’m not buying stupid stuff.  It doesn’t feel confining like it used to.

This freedom is the freedom that God wants for ALL of us.  I think many of us look at the Bible and see it as a way to just stop all of us from having fun; the reality is that Bible offers a freedom that one only experiences once you go all-in.  I wouldn’t have learned how to save money if I only tried out budgeting for a week.  I wouldn’t have learned why sex before marriage is damaging to future relationships.  I wouldn’t have learned why being a Christian doesn’t stop you from enjoying life.  Being a Christian, living a God-filled life, compels you to live life to the fullest because you know where the lines are.  It’s not about getting as close to the line as possible without crossing it.  Friends, that’s legalism.  I’m talking about just going forward and seeing what God has to offer beyond the confines of the Bible, to live in the world without being "super-spiritual".

All of the sudden, freedom isn’t about doing whatever you want.  No.  Freedom is about know what you can do and doing it with all abandon.  This is the freedom I know.

Do you know it?

Choice is one of the greatest gifts that God has given man.  This gift is seemingly simple; but upon study, it’s wonderfully complex.  Many philosophers have studied the concept of choice and there is still much debate as to what it means.

Choices can be as simple as going to school or picking out which soup to eat.  They can be complex: deciding on which house to buy, whether you’re ready for marriage, moving to a new area.  The constant between all choices is that we have the freedom to choose.

This freedom carries responsibilities.  Consequences follow our choices…quite frankly, that’s why we make choices: for the consequences.  But anyone that’s made a major decision knows that sometimes these consequences are not noticed until much, much later.

I think this is so with God.

Consider the converse of choice.  Most people would say that the opposite of choice is "pre-destination."  This is a "churchy" word that I’m not discussing here.  I think the converse of choice is predictable programming.

Predictable programming means that given certain conditions, you would react in a predefined manner.  Nothing would be different.  Your reaction to the stimulus would be no different from any other reaction you’ve had before.  No knowledge is acquired in this mindset.  Believe it or not, many parts of our core behavior is "programmed."  Fear is a programmed response to a stimulus.  The situations may change but the feeling of fear does not change.

So, when choice is inserted into the equation, everything changes.  You may choose to heed your fear and retreat to safety.  Or you may choose to accept your fear and continue into whatever you were doing.

Even in this simple thought experiment, we see the power that choice has.  We must realize, though, that life isn’t just a simple equation.  Many factors influence our choices.  But the amazing thing is that the beauty of choice doesn’t get experienced until it comes to love.

Imagine for a moment that you were with someone you love.  Now imagine that you two had a terrible fight.  This fight causes you to reconsider the relationship.  Now, let’s strip away your choice of leaving and instead you are programmed to continue to be in this relationship.  When I think about romance, I don’t think about it being "forced".  In fact, I think of the opposite: this person could have chosen anyone else, but has chosen me.

And isn’t this what we want?  I know I would never want someone to be with me because she felt like there was no other option.  I would want her to be with me because she wants to be with me…she chooses to be with me.  Marriage is the greatest covenant because of this.  Marriage says that if given the choice to do it all over again, I would still choose my wife.  And I would always choose my wife…every time.

This is love.  Just like how love could not exist with trust, love cannot exist without choice.  Intimacy requires me to love my wife, no matter what she says or does.  And I must be willing to be vulnerable enough to have her make the same choice.  I must be willing to be hurt.  I must be willing to be vulnerable to the point of humiliation.  It’s this vulnerability is what has killed love and marriage today.  Many of us are so afraid of this kind of love…knowing that our partner can reject us at any moment…that we are afraid to pursue it.

The more I learn about marriage, the more I learn about the heart of God.  I wonder what went through his mind as he blessed us with the ability to reject him.  I wonder how he felt when he knowingly "programmed" his people to not love him back.  See, this becomes much more complex when you put the Creator in the equation.  And I think God knows the feeling of rejection more than anyone.  He gives everyone the choice to either love him or ignore him.  He gives everyone the choice to do good or to do evil.  He has given this choice.

I always think, "What does this say about God?"  Does it say that he’s so proud that he doesn’t need love?  That can’t be true because giving us the choice to love him says something different.

Well, perhaps God knew we wouldn’t do anything bad.  Well, if that was the case, there really wouldn’t be much "choice".

I think what this boils down to is the fact that God can plan out the world…our choices cannot limit or hinder him.  Our choices only hinder us.  You see, if choice didn’t matter, then all of this would be for nothing.  But when given the option to do good, to believe in him…when given the chance to be a part of something extraordinary…we get to see life in the way he intended it.  If we don’t, well, we don’t experience anything.

I think God realized these things.  Choice has much to do with love as trust does.

We’re all given the choice to love God or hate him.  We’re given that choice everyday, every moment in our life.  And perhaps, that’s the greatest gift of all: the choice to ignore the very being that gave us the gift.