Self-emptying freedom
Freedom.
We see the word thrown around recklessly these days.
Left. Center. Right.Â
What does freedom mean to you?
It’s a worthy question to ponder.Â
The word elicits good ole’ American self-determination. But self-determination for what ends?
In our culture, we usually define it in the negative sense. It means when we’re NOT being oppressed or ruled over by another. It means broken chains and the unseating of crooked rulers. Â
However, this kind of freedom is insufficient. It’s empty when it lacks the complementary meaning of the word. Here, we see that freedom isn’t just freedom FROM external domination but equally vital is freedom FOR. Sure, you might be free FROM the oppressor, but are you free to move you toward your neighbor - and your life - in love? This freedom is the freedom to act. No one else can grant this kind of freedom. It must be cultivated and nurtured in our own life.Â
Think of any worthwhile endeavor… Maybe for you, it’s playing a musical instrument. Yes, in the first sense of the word, you are free to play it. Your hands are not shackled. The first kind of freedom is taken care of. But the second deeper kind of freedom is an internal struggle. And that is the freedom to commit and take action. That thing ain’t gonna play itself. You find your freedom to play in the action of playing itself. It’s attained through giving yourself over to what seems like the OPPOSITE of freedom. Being chained to your guitar for hours on end while your fingers bleed and your ears hurt is not the first image you think of when you think of the word freedom. But it is.Â
This internal kind of freedom is the more mystical and kenotic kind of freedom. It’s the freedom wrought from the permission to give yourself to something finite. To pour yourself out in self-emptying enthusiasm. And to watch God fill you right back up.1Â