Freedom
Today I took a trip to the DMV (the Department of Motor Vehicles, for my international friends): where the lines are as long as Disneyland, but it's definitely NOT the happiest place on earth. The reason why people wait in these lines, though, is because transportation means freedom. It means going where you want and when you want. The "end" of being able to drive definitely justifies the "means" and the hoards of people, even if you have to wait for hours (pro tip: register for an appointment online. I noted the person who would have been in front of me in line, had I not secured an appointment. I was in and out before she got to the front door of the building.)
Just as the ability to move and go places is a manifestation of freedom, so is the ability to not move when you don't want to- any Tourette Syndrome, Huntington's, or Parkinson's patient will tell you that. Because freedom isn't limited to movement, but to one's will. The will to do or not do what you want or don't want. The will to make choices and get results.
But sometimes our will leads to imprisonment, not freedom. What happens if we are bent on getting our way and don't? We wanted good health for ourselves, parents, and children, but we got sickness instead. We want to call someone into account for a wrong, real or perceived, and no one got what they deserve. We wanted- not even a good job, but enough to get by- and we got laid off. We wanted so much for this broken relationship to mend, but it slips away by the day.
A person's will can be like wood or like bamboo. Wood is strong and unyielding, but it will break. Bamboo is also strong, but it will give and bend. A wooden will that is obstinate leads to disappointment, heartbreak, and grudges against others and against God.
On the other hand, a bamboo will possesses a different kind of strength: the strength to adapt and change while still staying rooted. It is a flexible sort of steadfastness. Sometimes the way to grasp freedom is to live life with an open hand. Sometimes the way to gain life is to lose it.
Just as the ability to move and go places is a manifestation of freedom, so is the ability to not move when you don't want to- any Tourette Syndrome, Huntington's, or Parkinson's patient will tell you that. Because freedom isn't limited to movement, but to one's will. The will to do or not do what you want or don't want. The will to make choices and get results.
But sometimes our will leads to imprisonment, not freedom. What happens if we are bent on getting our way and don't? We wanted good health for ourselves, parents, and children, but we got sickness instead. We want to call someone into account for a wrong, real or perceived, and no one got what they deserve. We wanted- not even a good job, but enough to get by- and we got laid off. We wanted so much for this broken relationship to mend, but it slips away by the day.
A person's will can be like wood or like bamboo. Wood is strong and unyielding, but it will break. Bamboo is also strong, but it will give and bend. A wooden will that is obstinate leads to disappointment, heartbreak, and grudges against others and against God.
On the other hand, a bamboo will possesses a different kind of strength: the strength to adapt and change while still staying rooted. It is a flexible sort of steadfastness. Sometimes the way to grasp freedom is to live life with an open hand. Sometimes the way to gain life is to lose it.
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