Freedom isn't free.

Free adj  /frē/ 2 a: not determined by anything beyond its own nature or being: choosing or capable of choosing for itself

Miriam Webster online has 15 different definitions for free as an adjective with each also having sub definitions. It seems like such a simple word, such a simple concept. It's not. And it's a lot harder to actually be free than one might assume.

What am you talking about? We're in America. We are free. We have our rights and our liberties and the pursuit of happiness. Yeah... About that. There's these things called humans. They mess stuff up.

I had to touch on the obvious political side, but truth is, I hate politics. 

The freedom I'm seeking is a spiritual freedom, a way of life. The freedom I desire cannot be found in Webster's dictionary. It can't be defined. It lies deep with my soul and aches to be achieved. Every minute of every day.

Everything in me cries out to be more and have more. I don't want to be defined or confined by traditions or belief systems or parental consent or peer approval. I want to be capable of choosing for myself.

It's easy for us to let our lives get bogged down by all of these things. We carry the weight of the world on our shoulders, putting things aside to figure out later, repressing emotions because the time isn't right to deal with them, picking up other people's burdens because it breaks our heart to see them carry it on their own. That is not freedom. 

Everyone has a belief system. We are a part of a faith community. These communities develop a norm and find comfort in this norm. We have this need to define things so that they are not beyond our understanding. When we don't understand something, we don't have control of it and that scares us. Where there is control, there is comfort. That is not freedom. 

We don't get to choose our family. Well, in a way we do. We choose our friends and they often become our second family, or sometimes our first family. But you don't pick your bloodline and most of the time you can't get away from them. With family comes more expectations and burdens and traditions. That is not freedom.

My heart desires more because the Holy Spirit lives in me. The Holy Spirit lives in you and I and He cannot be defined or confined. I'm keeping Him locked up and in line with the rules and He can't take it any more. The lion wants to be set free.

Jesus said his yoke is easy and his burden is light. I want to reclaim that.

What is your cage? How are you keeping the Holy Spirit tucked away? How can we set Him free? What would it look like if we did?

Stop trying to breathe under water. Break the surface. Fill your lungs with fresh air. See what it feels like to be free. I bet you won't turn back.