Last night’s town hall meeting was a first. I presented the facts of a survey with as little commentary as possible. I echoed back what the members of my groups said last September with all that restraint I could muster. So many statements invited observations, commentary, or sarcasm if not in word then at least implied in my body motions. I already know what I think of the answers, what they mean, and how we should respond. What I do not know, need to know, and actually want to understand is what the people want me to do! Anything that I might say or do will direct affect their response and the mission will be lost.
I was and am free to act.
Whitney and Carli have free ride of the neighborhood. They can skate, bike, or run around without worrying about major dangers or fear. In so many ways, we are very lucky to have found a safe niche with other kids their age who like to enjoy life in positive ways! However, not everybody sees the picture the same way. There are some older couples, without kids, who want a calm, tranquility, and no movement around them! Yelling from windows at kids doing normal kid stuff comes from the smallest trigger.
Carli and Whitney were and are free to act.
God offers you and I absolute freedom. “Since we’re free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly.” (Romans 6.15) Each statement, every decision we make states to ourselves, people around us, and to God whether we accept or reject that gift. There are no limits to how we say it – from the first choice we make on waking up, to what we have for lunch, to the decisions made in what program we watch on TV. Are we willing to walk, live, and breath accepting God’s gift in faith?
You and I were and are free to do anything we want.
The counter argument is often that God is boring, dull, and predictable. God is anything but!
