From James Shelley’s Prison post:
The most effective delusion is the one which holds you captive to the illusion of your own freedom. For if your freedom depends on a certain belief, ideology, device or lifestyle — if you can’t truly be free without it — then are you not actually a prisoner to it? 1
Now, I read Shelley’s posts with a fair bit of regularity. I thoroughly enjoy his insights on just about everything he writes. This particular post is fantastic, but not in the way James was intending, as far as I can tell.
Firstly, correct me if I’m wrong, but the tone of the post is negative. But I find nothing negative about “bounded-freedom” at all! Imprisonment (read=limitations) can be a wonderful thing. I love being a prisoner to the belief of, and a lifestyle based on, gravity. I love being a prisoner to the belief of what I sow is what I will most certainly reap. I love being a prisoner to a diligent and robust work ethic. I love being prisoner to the pursuit of serving and loving my wife well. I could go on and on — all of these, and many others, are beliefs, ideologies, devices, or lifestyles that I gladly adhere to. Which…
brings your eyes to my next point: absolute and true freedom, though desired by some, is unattainable. And this is due to the design of man and the welcome and kind boundaries that his existence has been couched in. Boundaries and limits are good. They preclude chaos.
Now then, freedom itself only lasts until an act of volition is made, that is, until the will wills. Once a free being makes a choice, that free being has chosen to forgo all other options, thereby limiting its very free-ness. So, freedom is only freedom in ability, not in willful action, unless we get into those very few persons whose attributes are beyond human, viz., omnipotent, omniscient, almighty, etc…. That’s for another time.
Finally, freedom can be the greatest delusion. I can reject any number of beliefs or ‘truths’ yet they can still hold sway over me if they are real. A fool could reject the reality of gravity, only to find that gravity has no concern for this rejection, and will certainly throw the fool to the ground if he is not careful where he puts himself.
So, yes, I agree that some, if not most freedoms are reliant upon something else which affords that very freedom. But even therein the freedom is limited, in that it needs to rely on something external. The question is then, is there any true, absolute, unhindered freedom under the sun?
I’ve said it once, and I’m about to repeat myself…
Just because one has the ability, license, and credentials to stand in front of a throng of students does not mean that one necessarily knows HOW to teach.
Much less do it somewhat effectively.
The End.
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Customer service is a two-way street people. All of us who have been in the service industry for any substantial amount of time are keenly aware of the lack of this understanding. Today the prevailing practice is to treat those ‘serving’ us as lowly servants and slaves who are vastly inferior.
And Jesus came to heal the sick, not those who are well…
As an ever evolving Dad-to-be I find myself at the business end of of the learning stick. My wife is the teacher and I’m the student..daily. Since my last list, I’ve learned a few more concepts that are currently fighting for room within my tiny brain. Sorry math, you’re gonna have to squeeze…
- It is
appropriatenecessary to figure out dinner plans before breakfast. There will be no waiting until the last minute.- Putting socks and shoes on another adult is not easy. Seriously, it really isn’t.
- The “pregnancy waddle” is no joke…although it does kinda look funny. Sorry, but it does.
- Maternity jeans are more comfortable then pajama pants! I don’t believe it, but I’m going to take her word for it.
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“Jesus is God and man in one person: man that he may feel our woes, God that he may help us out of them.” — From C. H. Spurgeon’s Immanuel: The Light Of Life
“There is simply no other way to compete with the forebodings of my conscience, the condemnings of my heart, and the lies of the world and the Devil than to overwhelm such things with daily rehearsings of the gospel.” — From Milton Vincent’s A Gospel Primer
“In a nutshell, abiding in Christ means allowing His Word to fill our minds, direct our wills, and transform our affections. In other words, our relationship to Christ is intimately connected to what we do with our Bibles!” — From Sinclair Ferguson’s In Christ Alone
“Remember this—all the sighing, mourning, sobbing, and complaining in the world, does not so undeniably evidence a man to be humble, as [does] his overlooking his own righteousness, and living really and purely upon the righteousness of Christ.” — From Thomas Brooks’ The Unsearchable Riches of Christ
“
Approach, my soul, the mercy seat,
Where Jesus answers prayer;
There humbly fall before His feet,
For none can perish there.
Thy promise is my only plea,
With this I venture nigh;
Thou callest burdened souls to Thee,
And such, O Lord, am I.
Bowed down beneath a load of sin,
By Satan sorely pressed,
By war without and fears within,
I come to Thee for rest.
Be Thou my Shield and hiding Place,
That, sheltered by Thy side,
I may my fierce accuser face,
And tell him Thou hast died!
O wondrous love! to bleed and die,
To bear the cross and shame,
That guilty sinners, such as I,
Might plead Thy gracious Name.
“Poor tempest-tossed soul, be still;
My promised grace receive”;
’Tis Jesus speaks—I must, I will,
I can, I do believe.
“A typical emotional response to trouble in the church is to think, “If that’s the way they feel about me, then they can find themselves another pastor.” We see very few models today whose lives spell out in flesh and blood the rugged words, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various trials” (James 1:3). When historians list the character traits of the last third of twentieth century America, commitment, constancy, tenacity, endurance, patience, resolve and perseverance will not be on the list. The list will begin with an all-consuming interest in self-esteem. It will be followed by the subheadings of self-assertiveness, and self-enhancement, and self-realization. And if you think that you are not at all a child of your times just test yourself to see how you respond in the ministry when people reject your ideas.” — John Piper, in his 1989 Conference for Pastors biography of Charles Simeon.
“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” — Genesis 6.5-6