Summer officially began last Wednesday, the 21st of June, but for every school aged child, the first day of summer is not June 21st, but rather the last day of school. As kids ourselves, when that final bell rang, and all the schoolwork and worry disappeared, we thought we had been released into absolute freedom. We felt nothing but pure joy.
But here is the irony. That freedom still came with restrictions and curfews imposed on us by our parents. However, most of us didn’t mind these limits because we were getting to do almost everything we wanted to do. We also knew that our parents loved us, and while they wanted us to enjoy our summer, they also didn’t want us to get hurt or be in danger. So if we obeyed the “rules” of summer, we could have three months of carefree living.
Likewise, God wants us to experience that same sense of joy and freedom every day of our lives. He wants us to wake up each morning and, just like we did as kids, look forward to a “summer” of endless possibilities. But often we don’t. Instead, we wake up with a heaviness brought on by the worries over and the consequences of wrong choices. The reason for this is that we have forgotten the “paradox of summer.”
Despite what we may like to think, ultimate freedom is not the absence of rules or restrictions. Instead, ultimate freedom is the result of total submission, trust, and obedience. We have a loving father, perfect in all ways, who wants us to enjoy fully the life He has given us, so He has set boundaries and restrictions to ensure that we won’t get hurt or be in danger. True, we live in a world that will inflict pain and sorrow of its own, but absolute obedience will allow us to escape the destructive physical and emotional consequences that come from our own disobedient actions.
So if you are waking up with a heaviness that is a result of wrong choices or disobedience, then jettison those activities, place your life in the hands a compassionate father, accept the loving boundaries, and experience a freedom you have never felt before.
But here is the irony. That freedom still came with restrictions and curfews imposed on us by our parents. However, most of us didn’t mind these limits because we were getting to do almost everything we wanted to do. We also knew that our parents loved us, and while they wanted us to enjoy our summer, they also didn’t want us to get hurt or be in danger. So if we obeyed the “rules” of summer, we could have three months of carefree living.
Likewise, God wants us to experience that same sense of joy and freedom every day of our lives. He wants us to wake up each morning and, just like we did as kids, look forward to a “summer” of endless possibilities. But often we don’t. Instead, we wake up with a heaviness brought on by the worries over and the consequences of wrong choices. The reason for this is that we have forgotten the “paradox of summer.”
Despite what we may like to think, ultimate freedom is not the absence of rules or restrictions. Instead, ultimate freedom is the result of total submission, trust, and obedience. We have a loving father, perfect in all ways, who wants us to enjoy fully the life He has given us, so He has set boundaries and restrictions to ensure that we won’t get hurt or be in danger. True, we live in a world that will inflict pain and sorrow of its own, but absolute obedience will allow us to escape the destructive physical and emotional consequences that come from our own disobedient actions.
So if you are waking up with a heaviness that is a result of wrong choices or disobedience, then jettison those activities, place your life in the hands a compassionate father, accept the loving boundaries, and experience a freedom you have never felt before.
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