Last Exit Before Oblivion

bjk left a comment on this morning's post: That's a cool truth that I want to hold onto......freedom....looks different to and for each person.....He's that personal of a God right???....!

Yes, he is just that personal. It's very interesting to me. "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever." He's the same but how he works with each person is unique, made of that person's needs and state at any one moment.

I need one kind of freedom. bjk needs another. Lu's freedom involves car payments, which are something I see only as a kind of bondage. God led her to that position for his own purposes, just as he has led bjk and me to where we are today.

So, where's the heart of this matter? God's heart, naturally. He never changes. He made each of us, and knows each of us. I think problems come in when people hear what some well-intentioned teacher starts standardizing freedom. We're told not to compare ourselves to others, but to walk our own path. This is the reason: someone else's path is designed, by God, for that person. It won't help me except in the general idea that God loves that person enough to establish a path, and I can expect Him to do the same for me.

There's comfort in being part of the herd, which is why freedom can be so quickly standardized. To blaze your own path is very much more difficult. You have to scout it yourself, see where you're going, and you have to keep on going. The herd sort of carries you along. When it's just you and God, you know what's happening, and you can hear God's voice.

I'm probably biased toward the solo path too much, which is part of my own freedom program. I've been so involved in making sure no one notices what I'm doing that I monitor my own state by how others react. If they see me, I've failed. This isn't a good plan when God's goal is to have each life shine in a way that attracts others. So I need to be independent enough to remain standing out in plain view.

Only God knows what your freedom is. He will teach you if you want him to. It's a difficult path. The last year of my life hasn't been much fun, but I think I'm finally beginning to learn some of the truth of love, freedom and truth. God is a good teacher and leaves nothing out, and he repeats the lessons until they really have been taken to heart.