I found unexpected things in Christianity. One of them was freedom.
Galatians 5:1, the apostle Paul says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” He was speaking to Jewish believers in Christ about those who were trying to get them to follow the old laws. Paul’s point was that they had been released from the old laws and were not to return to them. I believe that scripture also can be attributed to things we struggle with, such as addiction, fear, and our past, to name a few.
Defining Freedom
Let’s look at some definitions in that verse. If you’ve read my blog, you know I like definitions! We think we know what something means until we read what the dictionary says. It’s surprising how those little nuances escape us. So let’s start by looking at the word freedom. In this context, it means a state of being free, but it can also mean being free from slavery. The following definition is for the word yoke: A yoke is a type of harness that links two animals together side by side. Before modern equipment, cattle were often yoked together to pull a cart or plow. When they are evenly yoked, meaning of similar size and strength, they can pull a significant load. But what happens if a yoke of slavery burdens you?
Slavery is the owning of a person as property. The enslaved person has virtually no freedom. They have no say in their life. Their master tells them what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. While modern-day slavery exists, the Bible often speaks of slavery in terms of sin. Romans 6:20 says, “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.” What are you yoked to? Anger, fear, shame, past hurts, and wounds that make life difficult?
Depression
One (of many!) of the things God freed me from was depression. I didn’t realize I had it, and in my case, it wasn’t severe, but it wasn’t easy. When I was in my 20s and looking back at my days in school, I realized that my dislike of school fueled my depression. I wasn’t bullied, and I didn’t find school difficult. I had friends and fun, but in general, I didn’t like school. It began halfway through kindergarten when I was sent home from school sick. After that, my five-year-old brain figured out that if I faked being ill, I didn’t have to go to school. I didn’t mind kindergarten, but I didn’t care for my teacher.
From kindergarten through 6th grade, I dealt with this every two years. It was a nightmare for all involved: me, my mom, and my teachers. I constantly complained of illness in an attempt to go home, and I was sent to the revolving door of the nurses’ office almost daily. And then, after a few weeks, it would pass only to resurface again. Through 7th, 8th, and 9th grade, I had no problems. I assumed that whatever it was, worked itself out. But in 10th grade, I went through it again. Being older and better at faking illness, I would stay home for a week at a time, barricaded in my room listening to music. Then I would go back for a week and face a ton of back school work.
To make a very long story short, as an adult, the Lord began to show me what had happened. First, he identified it as a form of depression; second, he showed me that it was cyclical. In my case, it happened around Columbus Day, and then again in the spring. I could set my calendar by it. As a young adult, He also identified my great dislike of school through a music teacher. My guitar teacher once told me I was an easily bored student – a GIANT lightbulb came on! The depression lifted when I got out of school. I had no problems in college (3 hours of class and then work), and I’ve had no problems working 40+ hours a week. What was the school issue? I was a speedy learner and reader. I had no patience to wait for the rest of the class. I hated having to spend six hours in class when I learned it much faster. I have no doubt I would have thrived in a homeschool atmosphere.
If you are thinking, why did you have to go back to it when it was a past issue? Depression was trying to creep back into my life, and I was not going to go there again! This time, I turned to God, who untangled the issues that were unknown to me.
Time
It didn’t happen overnight for me, and it may not happen overnight for you either, but I have known people who were immediately freed from things like addiction. Even in cases like that, the person needs to deal with the reasons they became addicted to begin with. The freedom I found that makes me think of Matthew 5:48 “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” The word perfect actually means whole. We all have broken parts of our lives.
We need to get them healed up, and we will explore that in blog topics to come!
Until next time under the palm, be blessed!
