Free

Freedom is a paradox. It is held up as one of the most treasured things in this life, and yet no one would want to be totally free…as in devoid of attachment. Nirvana, achieving emptiness, would not be so enlightening after all. It is in fact the antithesis of life and truly living.

Life is about attachments. Even hobbies we take up in our spare time are in ways us giving ourselves to something…human relationships definitely involve this. It is in this giving away of ourselves to things and people, that we are truly fulfilled, and those things and people begin to give back to and shape us.

The Bible says that before we our saved, we are in fact slaves to sin and slaves to ourselves (I wonder if a distinction between the two is even necessary), but in salvation we are given freedom and life in Christ. I don’t think this freedom is meant in the earthly political sense in which we are first inclined to take it, since we are also told and Paul himself calls himself a slave to Christ. The main difference of course being this new found “enslavement” is not a tyrannical one against Paul’s will. It is one of love and righteousness. It is right to find your place beneath the things that are in fact above you and rightfully deserve your allegiance. It is right to place yourself alongside the things that you love and are willing to sacrifice for. Like a father watching over his children or a soldier giving himself for his countrymen, some things are higher than freedom.

So this song was somewhat musing on those facts. I don’t want to be (and I don’t think anyone really) wants to be completely free. We want to fill the voids. We want to be part of something.

—–
FREE
I’ve got so much to do, but I’ve been putting it off just for you
don’t you see how much you mean to me?
The world is confused, so I’m boiling it down to me and you
they make it harder than it needs to be…pretending we are free

I don’t wanna be free, I wanna be tied to the things that matter to me
& beyond what I know, I know that you’re more than enough for me
Will you stay enough? Always be enough

So what shall we do, is freedom a thing we can choose…or the darkest of tragedies?
(but) we are not fools to give away all that we cannot keep to gain what we cannot lose