All too often we want freedom without paying the cost needed. But true freedom comes with a cost and often this cost is one of discipline. Discipline opens the door to living with ease.
Not everyone is free to play the piano beautifully or to perform open-heart surgery. Much training and practice is needed beforehand in order to have the freedom to perform these tasks.
The freedom to do comes after submitting to the discipline of becoming.
And the same is true throughout our life.
For instance, in order to freely fulfill our life purpose we must first discipline ourselves to discover what God has called us to and in stewarding the gifts he has given us.
To experience sexual freedom we must first learn how to discipline our intense sexual energy. We are not free when we are driven by our compulsions.
Likewise, relational freedom comes from the discipline of knowing ourselves and the other and our commitment to the practice of love.
Disciplining ourselves to become gives us the freedom to live with greater ease throughout our life and relationships.
With the doctor and the pianist, we still have to show up and do the work every single time.
But there’s less striving and more confidence after we’ve submitted to the discipline of becoming.
In short, we simply have the freedom to be the man God has called us to be. We can show up on any given day and freely do what is ours to do.
But we don’t have this freedom without taking the time to become. And as a result, we’re often stuck playing parts in life we would not have chosen otherwise.
Submit to discipline and learn to enjoy the full freedom of who God has called you to be.
Photo by OC Gonzalez on Unsplash
