Strength to be Free
from Meditations from the Heart by Howard Thurman
"Give me the strength to be free." The thought of being free comes upon us sometimes with such power that under its impact we lost the meaning that the thought implies. Often, "being free" means to be where we are not at the moment, to be relieved of a particular set of chores or responsibilities that are bearing heavily upon our minds, to be surrounded by a careless rapture with no reminders of costs of any kind, to be on the open road with nothing overhead, but the blue sky and whole days in which to roam. For many, "being free" means movement, change and reordering.
To be free may not mean any of these things. It may not involve a single change in a single circumstance, or it may not extend beyond one's own gate, beyond the four walls in the midst of which all of one's working hours and endless nights are spent. It may mean no surcrease from the old familiar routine and perennial cares which have become one's persistent lot. Quite possibly, your days mean the deepening or your rut, the increasing of your monotony and the enlarging of the areas of your dullness. All of this, and more, may be true for you.
"Give me the strength to be free." Often, to be free means the ability to deal with the realities of one's situation so as not to be overcome by them. It is the manifestation of a quality of being and living that results not only from understanding one's situation but also from wisdom in dealing with it. It takes no strength to give up, to accept shackles of circumstances so that they become shackles of soul, to shrug the shoulders in bland acquiescence. This is easy. But do not congratulate yourself that you have solved anything. In simple language, you have sold out, surrendered, given up. It takes strength to affirm the highest prerogative of your spirit. And you will find that if you do, a host of invisible angels will wing to your defense, and the glory of the living God will envelop your surroundings because in you He has come into His own."
Give me the strength to be free.
Thank you to Howard Thurman for these powerful words and reminder of what true freedom is about. What does freedom mean to you?
"the deepening or your rut"
ReplyDeleteI believe this is a typo. Perhaps it should read "the deepening OF your rut," yes?
yes, thanks for the catch!
ReplyDelete