The Freedom To Relax: Devotion for July 7

This past week, we celebrated the Fourth of July—a time to honor the freedom we enjoy as a nation and express our gratitude to those who fought, both on the battlefield and in the realm of ideas, to make that freedom a reality.

As I reflected on this, I was reminded of a “zen doodle” I created a few years ago. I went through a season where I really enjoyed zen doodling—a creative, meditative practice that helped me unwind. I highly recommend it. Or don’t doodle at all. That’s the beautiful thing about relaxing: you’re free to choose how and when to do it.

And that brings me to a deeper question. We often talk about freedom as a national value—but what does it mean to be free as a person?

Janis Joplin famously said, “Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.” Is that all freedom is? That we’re completely self-reliant? That we’re free to do whatever we want, whenever we want?

Some philosophers and political thinkers would say there are several kinds of freedom:

• Economic freedom

• Religious freedom

• Freedom of movement

• The right to self-defense

• Political freedom

• Personal freedom

Each of these touches a different part of our lives. But Jesus speaks of a different kind of freedom—something deeper and more lasting. He says, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

Martin Luther explored this in his famous work, The Freedom of a Christian. In it, he makes this striking statement:

A Christian is a perfectly free person, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant, subject to all.

At first glance, that sounds contradictory. How can someone be completely free and completely subject at the same time?

Luther’s answer lies in the heart of the gospel. Because of the free gift of grace, we are forgiven and made right with God—not by anything we do, but purely by what Christ has done for us. That means the law—our efforts to be “good enough”—has no power to condemn us. We are not saved by rule-keeping. We are free from that burden.

But that doesn’t mean our actions don’t matter. It simply means our motivation has changed. We don’t do good in order to earn God’s love. We do good because we’ve already received it. Grace becomes the wellspring of love that overflows into our relationships with others.

When we truly grasp that we are loved as we are, flaws and all, it becomes much harder to judge others harshly. Humility grows where grace is planted. And out of that soil grows a life of joyful service—not because we have to, but because we want to. Obedience, in this sense, isn’t a chore; it’s a response of love. And in following Christ, our hearts are transformed to be more like his.

That, friends, is the freedom of a Christian: not living under the crushing weight of trying to be perfect, but resting in the perfect love of Christ. We’ll never be enough—but Jesus is. His grace is free. And so are we.

So go ahead—take a breath.Relax. You’re free.