I think our current world gets caught up in a “freedom from/to” attitude and mistakes it for true freedom.
Freedom from.. control of others. Freedom from.. rules. Freedom to.. do what I want. Freedom to.. say what I want.
Yes this freedom is very important, but it’s not true freedom.
“Freedom from/to” often overlooks our addictions and demons. To give an obvious example, a man who is an alcoholic drives home from work and he has the freedom to choose to stop by a bar and get a few beers or he can go straight home to his family. His wife, whom he loves, tells him that he needs to start addressing his alcoholism and stop going to the bar as much. The next day he’s driving home and he develops this “freedom from” attitude and says to himself “well I’m a free man and I can do what I want with my life, so I’m going to the bar.”
Is this man truly free? The answer is no. He is held captive to his addiction and has used the word freedom suppress the reality of the situation. He’s not free.
I pray that we all experience true freedom. This can only be accomplished through learning how to selflessly love. If you want to learn how to do that, read the story of Jesus. It’s phenomenal.