There is no freedom in:
Persons
Luxury
Quiet
Thoughts
Pleasures
Duties
Work
There is only freedom in:
Giving oneself away:
Every moment I feel frustrated by someone's actions that I don't approve of. Every time I feel let down in my expectation. Every time someone doesn't put me first. Every time I feel the need to retreat. Every time I am called upon. Every time. Give. Give. Eucharisto. Give myself away. As if Christ Himself acted in a way in which I didn't approve of, every time my expectation in prayer was not answered, every time God calls me to put others before myself, every time I want to hide from Him, every time He asks me to stretch myself for someone else, GIVE. Give myself away. Jim Elliot said, " He is no fool who gives
What he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." This is answer to the problem of myself. Give. Give it all away. For Christ.
Carrying your cross:
What is your cross Christian? Is it a broken marriage? An empty womb? A difficult child? A stubborn diseased parent? A disability? A continual and trying burden that you feel as though you cannot do any longer? An empty pocketbook? A life threatening disease? Stolen possessions? Someone who continues to take advantage of you? An investment lost? What is your lot? Christ has not asked us to carry that which He Himself has not already borne as an example for us. Hebrews 4:14-16 states, "Since in Jesus, the Son of God, we have the supreme high priest who has gone through to the highest heaven, we must hold fast to our profession of faith. For the high priest we have is not incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us, but has been put to the test in exactly the same way as ourselves, apart from sin. Let us, then, have no fear in approaching the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace when we are in need of help. " and as our Lord Jesus himself reminds us, " Come to me, all who are labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. " Carry your cross Christian, and He will give you what you ask for. (Matt 5:7-11)
And counting your life as lost:
"No one who does not carry his cross and come after me can be my disciple. " Luke 14:27
The hard words of Christ come at great cost. As our Lord continues in v28 "and indeed which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and count the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? ...so in the same way, none of you can be my disciple without giving up all that he owns." And Luke 9:23-24 says, "If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, will save it. What benefit is it to anyone to win the whole world and forfeit his very self?"
For without True Service in Christ, there only comes a wailing for more of what your passions beseech. Persons will let you down. Luxury and vanity will only leave you coming back for more. Quiet times and thoughts will only leave you begrudging noise. Duties and work will only leave you hungry for satisfaction and praise. Pleasures will cling to you like a leech to its host. They all leave you hungry and thirsty and wanten. The Freedom of the Law of Christ is Love. Love the Lord your God with all your strength, heart, soul, and mind & Love Thy neighbor as thyself. Lord have Mercy on me that I might not sin against Thee. Amen.
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