Freedom

We have the greatest dog in the world. Keebler is a part Golden Retriever/part Yellow Lab who was guide dog trained before he became a part of our family. He is smart, disciplined, gentle, and most of all, a creature of habit. He knows that at certain times of the day there is food coming. He knows when I grab a jacket and a few things from the back porch, it’s time for a walk. He knows that my morning routine includes what we call “the morning rubdown” in which I pet/scratch/love on him vigorously while my bagels are heating up. Once he hears the oven ding, he knows that the “morning rubdown” is over.

We live in a very walking-friendly neighborhood and many of our neighbors have dogs. The property managers here insist that pet owners keep dogs on leashes when walking, but because Keebler is so disciplined, we do let him off the leash from time to time. Most mornings, in fact, once we’ve had breakfast and the day is underway, include a walking time for Mr. Keebs and I, we head outside for a walk. Once we’ve had a little exercise and he’s taken care of his business, I’ll often take the leash off and we’ll sprint back to our home. He senses the freedom and it’s genuinely a pleasure to watch as he runs at full speed . . . tongue wagging, ears flapping . . . with the wind at his back. Obviously he has 4-wheel drive and there’s no way I can keep up with him. He’ll dash 40-50 yards ahead of me then turn around and just run circles around me. He is, at that moment, as uninhibited and completely free of any and all burdens as he’ll ever be. It’s the best and most joyous part of his day. He’s free.

Scripture has a good bit to say about our spiritual freedom. A couple of the biggies:

Psalm 146 – “The Lord sets the prisoners free . . .”

John 8:32 – “ . . . and the truth will set you free . . .”

Romans 6:18 – “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”

2 Cor. 3:17 – “Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

Gal. 5:1 – “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”

The same way that freedom is expressed by our dog ~ exuberant joy ~ is the response that we should have in knowing that we’ve been set free from sin, oppression and guilt. May we celebrate God’s gifts to us with abandon!

But let me run loose and free, celebrating God’s great work, every bone in my body laughing, singing, “God, there’s no one like You!” (Psalm 35:9, The Message)