Freedom

This message is based on a dream that I had on April 27, 2012 (Memorial Day weekend here in the US).

The Dream

I was an observer in the dream. I watched as a large group of people met to debate the design of a bracelet called the “Freedom Bracelet”.

The meetings were conducted somewhat like congressional hearings. People who wanted to voice their opinions were called to a podium and given a chance to address everyone in the room. There were many people who spoke at the meetings. The issue was the creation of a bracelet, which citizens of this nation would be allowed to wear.

There was an interesting feature to the bracelet. It contained (hidden inside, where no one could see it) a piece of metal that had the word “GOD” engraved on it. This piece was carefully crafted and hidden inside each bracelet.

Some people wanted the bracelet to have the hidden affirmation of God, but some opposed it. Those who were opposed wanted other things to be included instead. One woman’s testimony was highlighted in the dream. She made a strong emotional plea to allow the “God” part to remain inside the bracelet. She said “I don’t even name the name of God, but this bracelet is so important to who we are as a people, it must be made this way.”

At the end of the dream I saw the bracelet, which was beautifully made of a copper or bronze metal, with fine, flowing curves. It had a flat piece on the widest part that had inscribed in a handwritten font the word FREEDOM. The affirmation of God hidden inside was allowed to remain a part of it.

Freedom to Think

In 1989 the Berlin wall came down, signaling the end of an era. Ever since WW II, Eastern Europe had been separated from the West and had lived under political tyranny. Let me describe briefly what that looked like as told by Christian missionaries who visited Albania in the early 1990’s”

When they arrived in Albania, nothing could have prepared them for what they would encounter. The missionaries visited villages and told people about the God of the bible, about Jesus, and the free gift of salvation. Their message was accepted by nearly everyone, without so much as a single objection. The Albanian people told the missionaries, “Just tell us what to believe and we’ll believe it.”

The missionaries were stunned at this reaction. They’d never met people who were so unable to think for themselves or weigh the things they heard to decide if they were true. For 40 years, those who lived behind the iron curtain were told what to believe, without having any opposing views available for consideration. In Albania, the government published an approved curriculum, which was the only world-view available to them. An entire generation grew up thinking it was normal to be told what to think and not question it.

The missionaries noted there was only one type of furniture available for people to own. Every home looked nearly identical inside and out. There was a very limited selection of clothing available. The government didn’t want diversity introduced into the culture, so they restricted freedom of choice as much as possible.

There are still places in the world where only one set of ideas about life are available. All opposing views are outlawed. Here in America, we have perhaps the greatest freedoms of thought, expression and lifestyle of any nation on earth. People here love freedom deeply and many of them don’t know the God that makes freedom possible.

I believe God cares very passionately about freedom of thought, freedom of expression, freedom of worship and all the other freedoms we humans are allowed to have. He gave us freedom and free will for a very necessary purpose. Although His desire is for us to conform our will to His, the more freedom one has to reject Him, the more valuable it is when they surrender and choose Him.

I’m not able to say whether God favors war for the purpose of preserving freedom of choice. That question is bigger than my understanding of His ways. I prefer to believe freedom is a cause worth fighting for, but I’m not sure the battle is against flesh and blood. I think the wisest battle is against the spiritual forces of darkness that prop up leaders who create societies of bondage, tyranny and spiritual darkness.