Monday Manna - A Free Slave

Monday Manna is a gathering of bloggers,
commenting on a chosen Bible verse
at Joanne Sher's blog An Open Book.

This week's verse is

I Peter 2:16 "As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God."

This verse makes me think of a hymn ,
"Make Me a Captive, Lord" by George Matheson.

"Make me a captive, Lord,
And then I shall be free;
Force me render up my sword,
And I shall conqueror be;
I sink in life's alarms
When by myself I stand;
Imprison me within Thine arms,
And strong shall be my hand.

My heart is weak and poor
Until it master find;
It has no spring of action sure -
It varies with the wind;
It cannot freely move
Till Thou has wrought its chain;Enslave it with Thy matchless love,
And deathless it shall reign.
..."

It is an oxymoron.
How can we be free when we are chained as slaves?

I had an experience that taught me the meaning of this unique type of freedom. I had been busy, busy, busy - teaching Sunday School, planning a Christmas program, cleaning the church building, besides all the thing that are involved caring for a family. I knew it was too much, but I didn't see how I could give up any of my "duties." I thought I was indispensable - that things would be neglected, if I didn't do them. I felt trapped and tired, even though I was supposedly "serving the Lord."

On an especially busy winter morning, while rushing my kids to Christian school, our van slid off the road. I hit the top of my head and got a compression fracture in my spine. I was the only one seriously hurt. While I lay flat on my back for weeks. I couldn't do anything. One of my first thoughts was "I don't HAVE to do anything!"

God bound me to that bed, so that He could teach me a lesson. I didn't have to be busy doing things to please Him. I was free to think and pray and read His Word. I wasn't on a schedule. I was free to visit with people that He brought my way. I had time to talk with my husband and children. Even though I couldn't move, I was freer than before.

An elderly dear saint recently said, "The more this old body decays the freer my spirit is, freer to think on the things of the Lord, freer to pray."

Lord, keep me so close to you that I will know the freedom from sin in my life, that I will know the blessing of a surrendered heart, and that I will know the joy of You working through me. In Jesus' Name, Amen