The greatest expression of freedom

From the Declaration of Independence to the libertarian movement to the spirit of Ayn Rand that is invoked each election cycle Americans love to talk about freedom.

We like to think that the greatest expression of freedom is to do what we are allowed to do. This is often the case when I talk with some people who carry guns.

"I carry a gun because it it my constitutional right! The 2nd amendment says..."

Or when I talk with people about free speech...

"This is America and I can say whatever I want. Or have you not read the 1st amendment..."

Or even when talking with people who buy things that just do not make sense...

"Why did I buy this leopard printed toilet seat? Because I can."

Christians have long understood that these silly examples are not expressions of total freedom. When we say that we are free in Christ or that Christ has set us free for the sake of freedom, we are not talking about being able to do whatever we want "just because we can."

True freedom comes in choosing to be limited.

There is no greater expression of freedom then being able to do then choosing to not do it.

When people are taken into slavery, they are forced to work and work hard. They are not free to refrain from working nor are they free to choose when they will work and for how long. Freedom is not in what you can do but what you choose not to do.

This is what makes the spiritual practices an expression of freedom. We do not have to, lets say, fast from eating. God does not require fasting, we are free from the mandate to fast. And since we are free from this mandate, when we choose to fast, we are actually expressing the fullest extent of this freedom.

Freedom comes not in the ability to choose "to do" but in the ability to choose "not to do."

One tip to being a better conversationalist

Being in the role of the pastor means that there are a great deal of times in which I am engaged in conversation. While practicing the art (and it is an art) of conversation, it is becoming clear to me there is one thing that we all can work on in our conversation skills which really can help conversation move along and be fruitful.

Conversational narcissism is something that was recently commented on at Barking Up the Wrong Tree. Frankly I wanted to expand on this just a bit.

Sometimes when we are in conversation, it is helpful to ask a question which you already know the answer to. You might be thinking, this is a great idea! This gives me a chance to talk about a subject that I know about or it will give me a chance to correct people's knowledge and show others how much I really know! 

This is not the point. I would submit that to sometimes ask the question that you already "know" the answer to, not only moves conversation along and provides follow up questions, but it also gives the other person the practice of sharing what they too know. When we give others a chance to share what they know we build up the other. 

But here is the kicker, when we ask questions that we "know" the answer to, we may come to discover that we in fact did not know the answer and come away from the conversation learning something that we did not know but thought we did. And when we discover that what we thought we knew was only in part to what reality is, then we get to practice humility. 

Asking the question that we "know" the answer to might in fact reveal that we do not know much at all.

Are you open to learn something that you thought you already knew?

Why we need to interrupt people

Not long ago I shared about an experience of seeing friends say goodbye. In previous years I would have seen this ritual happen in the distance and never thought to interrupt them to ask them about their ritual. 

There are a number of excuses that could be conjured up from it is too personal to ask or they do not want to be bothered or there is no time to interrupt them. However, it is clear that interrupting people's lives creates a wonderful opportunity to build a relationship or at least build up another person.

When we interrupt people not only are we opening the door for conversation, but when we interrupt another person we have an opportunity to ask them about something they know and have them share. It has been my experience that people love to talk about themselves and love to tell others what they know. When we interrupt people and ask them about their lives we give others a chance to do what we love to do.

Giving people a chance to share who they are and what they know is a great reason to interrupt people's lives.

Try it next time. Interrupt your server and ask their name. Interrupt the table next to you and ask them how their food was because it looked interesting. Interrupt the person at the deli what cut of meat they like and purchase that cut after their suggestion. Interrupt someone and see where it takes you.