Keeping it Real
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. Do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather, serve one another in love.
Galatians 5:1, 13b
I confess I am a recovering materialist. I’m not sure when it happened, but the one thing I am sure of is that I enjoy the finer things in life. I love shopping. It is a former past time of mine. Now I’m not saying that I no longer shop, I simply shop less. And I’m not saying that shopping is bad, it is just an addictive habit for me. Is this because I am an only child? Is it because I am subconsciously trying to fill a void in my life? Or is it possibly because I have a generous loving husband who has never uttered the word “no” to me in our 22 years of marriage? It would be convenient to blame it on someone or something, but the fact of the matter is that in my heyday of over spending I had become a slave. And furthermore, my enslavement not only affected me, it affected those I love!
All of us are slaves to something. Who or what are you a slave to? Many people I know are slaves to their work. They pride themselves on the fact that they have never missed a day of work, for which their employers have never appreciated. They skip vacations and work long hours, missing out on valuable family time. They say that they are doing it for their families, but in reality, they have become a slave to their work. They are called “workaholics.” Maybe you are a “people pleaser.” Do you find yourself seeking affirmation from those around you and does criticism haunt you? If so, you may be a slave to the whims of others. Or are you like me? Do you like stuff? Do you find fulfillment in things? If so you may be a “materialist.” Some people are even slaves to themselves, and they are called “narcissists.” So, again I ask you, “Whose slave are you?” The list is endless: bad habits, greed, anger, worry, jealousy, lust, resentment, perfectionism, etc. You name it, and you could possibly be a slave to it. And do not be fooled, for you may even be a slave to something that is presumably “good,” such as exercise, volunteering, or even cleaning!! Don’t get me wrong; many of the things that I have listed are in and of themselves not “bad.” However, a good way to assess your slave-o-meter is to ask yourself, “What is it that consumes my time and thoughts?” If Christ is not among your first thoughts, you may be a slave to the wrong thing, which inevitably pulls you away from God.
Christ came to set us free from the sins that lead to slavery. He came to set us free – not to do whatever we want, because that would lead us back into slavery to our selfish desires. As a child of God we have been freed. However, until Christ’s return, we will constantly battle with our old nature and favorite sins. Meanwhile we are left with a choice – victory in Christ or….not. Dr. Norman Geisler, a Christian apologist and philosopher once said, “God created the fact of freedom; we perform the acts of freedom.” We have been empowered to say “no,” with the freedom to choose. We can make right choices and be free or make wrong choices and be enslaved.
So where do we begin on the path to real freedom? The Bible! I believe that the word is your instruction book for life, and the Ten Commandments are the perfect place to begin. In Deuteronomy 31:15-16 it is written, “I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands…then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you…”
Author Chuck Colson puts it like this in his book How Now Shall We Live, “Obedience to God is not just a matter of following rules arbitrarily imposed by a harsh master. Obedience to God is a means of entering into real life, a life rich in meaning and purpose. Obedience is an internal response to God as a personal being; it is choosing to know and “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:5). At the core of God’s commandments is not a set of principles or a list of expectations; at the heart of God’s commandments is a relationship.”
As for me, it has been baby steps. You know how it is, one step forward, two steps back. I cannot say that I have conquered my enslavement to materialism completely. However, I know that when I purposefully choose to meet with the Lord daily my desire to shop is far less enticing than when I am winging it alone. I have come to understand that a strong, loving relationship with God is freedom at its finest.
