Disciplined freedom?

I was listening to a sermon the other day by Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in NYC. He was talking about how people do not like Christianity because it restricts their freedom. Jesus calls us to give up our lives to him and not live for ourselves. Lets be honest, on our own, we want to follow our desires and ideas of what is best. Keller brings in the verse where Jesus says, "The truth shall set you free!" Now Christians believe that that truth is Jesus-He is the way, the truth, and the life! So how does this truth, then, bring freedom? Doesn't Christianity call us to do certain things and not do others? Well yes on one hand. Keller makes the point on how truth with conditions brings a deeper and truer freedom than we would have known. For example, he mentions fish. A fish is restricted to the water. But thats not fair, a fish should have the freedom to go wherever it wants to. Well, a fish can go wherever it wants to but if it goes out of the water, it eventually dies. Hmm...I think the fish will stick to its restriction so that it can enjoy the full freedom of the waters.

I've thought about this principle specifically with discipline. Many of us cringe at the word discipline...it seems restrictive and spoils our fun, right? Well, thats what it feels like but I've found a truly disciplined life brings a deeper, truer freedom and joy than living otherwise. A couple of examples from my own life: I come home a couple of days ago from visiting family upstate. My roommates were still in MI since we are on Spring Break. One of my roommates had cleaned the kitchen before we left but the rest of the apartment was a dump....seriously. Immediately, I start to feel myself getting stressed out. "I can't relax in this mess!" So, the next day I spent several hours (literally) cleaning. Now, wouldn't it be nice to never have to clean and have the discipline of having a clean home? Um, I'm learning the answer to that is...not possible! You have to be disciplined to clean because guess what, I feel more relaxed when I do! I would rather be disciplined in cleaning (hopefully doing it more often so that I don't have to spend several hours on it) so that I can be relaxed and not stressed out.

How about being disciplined about eating healthy and exercising? Now, I'm a normal person, I enjoy food and sweets, hello! But do I need to eat junk and sit all day long? Please no. Sounds nice until I feel sick, gross, and depressed. No, I would rather exercise regularly and indulge in the occasional treat so that I feel energized, refreshed, and enjoying life!

These are simple exampes to say that living according to the conditions that Jesus gave us brings us a deeper, truer freedom and joy than we could have prescribed for ourselves.

Joy in the preparation

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Your college years are the best years of your life." Yikes, everything is down hill from there? Thankfully, I can honestly say that right now I am experiencing the best years of my life. I pray that each phase of my life I can say that. I have found great joy in getting up each day and teaching hormonal, ungrateful teenagers. I write that with a smile on my face because it reminds me of my teenage years. Thank you teachers and family for putting up with me!

The last couple of weeks have been quite amazing for me. Oh sure, nothing extraordinary occurred in my life but inwardly, God is at work. I remember my college years and after graduation wondering why I was still single. What is wrong with me? Why is God punishing me? I am thankful to say that God has given me great joy in the preparation. Words cannot express it enough. I am not just accepting the fact that I am single, I am enjoying it! Praise God for His mercy on us! I feel God's pleasure and love on me at this time. He wants me to be a woman of excellence and guess what, my future husband is going to appreciate a woman of excellence MUCH more than a woman who has been sitting around impatiently waiting for him to finally show up. God is slowly tranforming me into a woman whose thoughts reflect God's. I do not need to dwell on my fears and critical thoughts of others. I do not need to complain about people or events that come my way. It is just not honoring to Him. I want to turn my song of bitterness into songs of joy and thanksgiving! Oh and the preparation gets pretty technical too. Why do I think when I get married I'll suddenly be good at cleaning my place on a regular basis and organizing my things? Why will I all of a sudden stop eating cereal for dinner? Why will I all of a sudden start keeping a budget? No, now is the time to a disciplined, responsible adult. Yes, there is great joy in the preparation. I'm excited about who God is making me into and the life He has given me. I'm not going to wallow in self-pity (call me out if I do) but rather rejoice in this time. God is doing a great thing. I can trust that if God is doing a work in me, He is doing a work in THAT man, whoever THAT man is!

May you enjoy whatever phase of life you are in now and allow God to continue to transform your lives, thoughts, and words! For all you single women out there, YOU ARE NOT A VICTIM! God is blessing you and shaping you. Let Him do it!