Did you know that there are different types of freedom and not all of them are great?
Happy Independence Day
It’s that time of year where we in the U.S. celebrate our Independence Day as a sovereign nation, often with loud and colorful explosives. Well, we call it Independence Day in the US. In Canada they call it “Can You Keep It Down” day.
But on this day we think about our freedom, which is a wonderful, wonderful thing. What we often don’t think about is how freedom can lead us down a bad path.
Bad Freedom
Being free means we can make our own choices. We are free to do whatever we want. To some people that means being free to treat people however we want or to drink too much or become involved in some self-destructive activities.
But, even though we might be free to participate in those activities, that doesn’t mean we should. We often mistake the freedom to do something as a free pass from the universe to do it without consequences. Obviously, that isn’t the case.
Good Freedom
But there are things we are free to do that people don’t often think about. If we don’t like who we are, we are free to be someone different. If we don’t like our life, we are free to change it. If we are missing a skill or some knowledge, we are free to acquire them.
We are free to become what we want to become. We are free to improve. We are free to make the most of what we have. We can exercise our freedom to make amazing changes in our world.
The Best Freedom
Sometimes the best way to exercise your freedom is to give it up. You are free to spend your money however you want, but sometimes the best thing to do is to give it to others who need it. You are free to spend your time however you want, but sometimes the best thing to do is to volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen or local community outreach center.
You are free to use your talents how you want, but you just may find that using them to bless other people is the best way to bless yourself. Because sometimes the best ways to spend our freedom is to give others the ability to experience theirs.
