Freedom. It’s the word of the hour. You hear it everywhere, on the news, in protests, in conversations about identity and rights. It’s plastered across banners, shouted from podiums, and woven into nearly every cultural movement. Freedom to be who I want. Freedom to live how I choose. Freedom from whatever holds me back.
But here’s the real question: Do we actually understand what freedom is?
It seems like the more we talk about it, the more confused we become. In today’s world, “freedom” has been twisted to mean doing whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want. No boundaries. No consequences. Just me at the center, defining my own truth. But when we chase that kind of freedom, do we really end up free? Or do we find ourselves more lost than ever?
I’ve seen it happen over and over again. People believe that if they could just break free from the rules, God’s, society’s, even their own conscience, they’d finally be happy. But instead of leading to peace, this so-called freedom often leads to deeper struggles: addiction, broken relationships, regret, and emptiness.
Why? Because true freedom was never meant to be a free-for-all.
Think of a fish. It might look at the water and think, I don’t want to be confined to this! I want to be free! But the moment it flops out onto dry land, it quickly realizes that what it thought was restriction was actually life-giving. Freedom outside of God’s design isn’t freedom at all, it’s a slow suffocation.
Now, let’s talk about free will. If freedom is misunderstood, free will is definitely one of the most misused gifts we’ve been given. God, in His love, gave us the ability to choose, Him, His ways, or something else entirely. He didn’t create us as robots but as people with the power to decide. That’s what makes love real: choice.
But choice comes with consequences.
So many people blame God for their pain, questioning why He allows suffering. But how often do we stop and consider how our own choices, and the choices of others, play a role? Free will means we get to decide how we live, but it also means we can’t escape the reality that what we sow, we reap (Galatians 6:7). When we use our free will to go against God’s design, we often find ourselves facing the very pain we tried to avoid.
Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). That’s the kind of freedom the world is actually longing for, even if it doesn’t realize it. Not a freedom that leads to chaos, but one that leads to peace. A freedom that doesn’t just cut off restrictions but cuts off the chains of sin, guilt, and fear.
Real freedom isn’t about following every whim. It’s about stepping into the life we were created for; one filled with love, purpose, and wholeness. And that life is only found in Jesus.
Our world is crying out for freedom, but it’s looking in all the wrong places. People chase after personal desires, political movements, and fleeting pleasures, hoping they’ll find fulfillment. But true freedom isn’t found in getting what we want. It’s found in surrendering to the One who knows what we need.
God’s heart for us isn’t to take away joy, but to give us real joy, the kind that isn’t dependent on circumstances. His freedom doesn’t trap us; it frees us from the things that would destroy us.
So, here’s my challenge: Let’s stop settling for a cheap imitation of freedom. Let’s stop using free will as an excuse for selfishness and start seeing it as the beautiful responsibility it is. And most importantly, let’s step into the true freedom that comes from knowing and walking with the One who created us.
The world may be crying for freedom, but only Jesus can truly give it.
RJ (Rox) Nolin