Letting it Go

Yesterday I read this article by Shawn Tully, editor-at-large at CNN Money, regarding potential losses of freedom under the health care reforms being discussed in congress this week. Tully outlines each blow to personal freedom, including the "freedom to choose what's in your plan," "freedom to be rewarded for healthy living, or pay your real costs," "freedom to choose high-deductible coverage," "freedom to keep your existing plan," and "freedom to choose your doctors."

Perhaps you are enraged by these new bills. Maybe you don't care; or like me, you don't entirely understand it all. My Facebook MiniFeed and Twitter account are splattered with opinions on health care reform and it is being bandied about by all the news agencies. Everyone is talking about gaining the freedom to afford health care or conversely, losing freedoms to the governmental bureaucracy.

I'm wondering this morning, if we ought not be more worried about the spiritual freedoms that many of us willingly relinquish on a regular basis.

There are four freedoms that are frequently used to distinguish Baptists. These were outlined by Walter Shurden and arguably are defining points for the Baptist identity. They are:

• Soul Freedom: The soul is able to be the independent decision maker and should do that without any coercion from any outside force.
• Church Freedom: Each local church gets to make autonomous decisions for itself and cannot be dictated to by any governing body.
• Bible Freedom: Each individual gets to read and interpret the Bible for him/herself using the best available study resources.
• Religious Freedom: Each individual has the right to choose to practice or not practice whatever religion he or she desires.

I believe in these four freedoms. I think that they not only typify our Baptist heritage and identity, but they are good common sense. To me, they are part of discipleship.

And what I'm wondering today is why we live as if we care more about threats to our freedom regarding our insurance than preserving our soul, church, Bible, and religious freedoms.

For my nephew, on his way

The whole earth is full of his glory.
You are his glory.
You are the kavod, the weight, the significance.
Little one, you keep the earth spinning;
Whirling for him.

It gets muddled and mired in the burden of living,
but you, little one, are good.
Created in his image, you are.

You will add to the dark but you can choose light.
Your tiny hands will destroy and build.
Break and create.
Confuse and clarify.

It will be cloudy, this living, even as you add to the light.
Carry it with you- you are good, holy.
You are the kavod.

Jo March and me

I've been rough edges and loud laughter my whole life. I spent a couple awkward adolescent years trying to not be a ladylike reproduction of Victorian propriety. My friends and I would have girls-only burping contests (with a bit of Dr. Pepper, I was a front runner). I have always most easily identified with Jo from Little Women moreso than Beth, Meg, or certainly prissy Amy. I break things a lot and I like to play with fire. I am sometimes sarcastic and caustic. I hurt feelings. I guess I used to think that being gentle just couldn't be me.

Something I am learning is that gentleness does not require being a china doll (gentleman readers, aren't you terribly glad?). 1 Timothy 6:11 tells us to pursue gentleness. It is also part of the fruit of the Spirit. Right up there with love and faithfulness. They aren't messing around with this gentleness stuff.

I particularly love what Philippians 4:5 says about gentleness though, "Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near." Perhaps it is simply my own reading, but I understand that phrase to say, "God is right here. You don't have to yell. Stop being obnoxious."

I need this reminder everyday and maybe you do to. Be gentle. Not prim and proper, just gentle. Meek, mellow, and kind-hearted.

Kentucky, pt. 2

Anna* is 16 years old. She’s overweight and ridiculed harshly at school. We came into contact with her through the truancy officer; she doesn’t go because the kids are mean. They treat her as if she is not a human. Her family is very poor and can’t afford to buy her clothes and what she has does not fit her well. But her eyes sparkle and she has a lovely smile. She is hungry for positive attention and acceptance.

I was not with the girls who took Anna shopping. I did not get to watch her try on clothes that were stylish and fit her body. I did not see her pose for pictures in her new favorite jeans. But I saw her smile when she and her new-found friends came to our cookout that afternoon. She was radiant. She glowed with the happiness of new friends and a pinch of self-confidence.

The new clothes were not the agent of change in Anna. The relationships worked all that magic. She moved with the grace of someone who is becoming comfortable with herself. She met my eyes when I introduced myself and I could tell that a seismic shift had occurred in her soul. Anna had more than bags of new clothes- she had friends and hope, perhaps for the first time ever.

*names have been changed