Transparent Christian Magazine

Hang on, because this one rambles!

One of the things my father did right was to give me enough rope to hang myself. And I did. I made tons of wondrous, exciting, adventurous, sometimes dangerous mistakes. And gradually (very gradually), I learned how to make good decisions … or at least better ones. In the meantime, whenever I bit off more freedom than I could handle and ended up making that collect phone call home, Pop always accepted the charges.

Then there’s my other father (that would be God). Well, He did the same thing. When I slipped my collar and jumped the fence, He let me go. And gradually (yes, very gradually and still) I learned that there are many wondrous choices and also many not so. (Sort of like the moral equivalent of learning that just because I could eat two pounds of Cherry Twizzlers at one sitting and no one could tell me No, well, that doesn’t mean I should.) However, I found that it is that freedom to screw it up — to try, fail, learn, and fail again — that has made my life rich, helped me learn and appreciate compassion, empathy, patience and love. Best of all, whenever I get in over my head, God always takes the call, accepts the charges, and welcomes me home.

My point: God gave us freedom. We can use it or abuse it. Our choice. Best of all, when we come to God, we should come freely, of our own choosing. I think that’s the best part about God and the best part about being a clay-footed human. Enjoy the many gifts God has given us this day, including the wondrous gift of freedom. — jri

“The moral freedom enjoyed by human
beings is the greatest risk God ever took,
a risk without which his creation would
have been something altogether different.
It would lose both its greatness and its
tragedy.” – Bernard Haring