Many people think liberty is all about having no constraints. “If I just could shake off laws, financial burdens, or social norms, I could have complete freedom. I could do anything I want.” They think this is utopia. But I believe true liberty is all about embracing the restrictions in our lives. Let me explain.
Do you remember playing at the park as a child? For me, I felt complete freedom. I slid down the slide head first, backwards, or any way I wanted to. I hung my head off the merry-go-round as the rocks whipped by my hair. I ran around and did anything I wanted. I knew my parents were watching me.
But if I looked back to see my parents weren’t there, I got scared. I had previously felt complete freedom to do whatever I wanted. But once the authority and structure in my life weren’t there, I lost all liberty. I didn’t want to play anymore. I held back.
You see; the liberty was because of the restrictions. My parents told me where I could play and how far I could go. Their structure provided safety. I was free within the bounds set before me. As long as I stayed within a few parameters, I could do whatever I wanted. Limitations weren’t bad in this situation.
Some restrictions are good. Some restrictions provide safety. And by embracing those restrictions—rather than bucking them—you can do amazing things. You can experience liberty to play and explore, knowing there is safety in the limitations.
Even more, limitations provide a chance to come up with creative solutions. Limitations help you focus your mind on what’s possible and what you don’t need to concern yourself with. So I came up with the best games. Sure, some of them pushed the boundaries of my limitations a bit. But that was okay. I was still safe to explore.
I want to encourage you with this: Maybe those limitations in your life—the ones you aren’t happy about—aren’t holding you back. Maybe they’re providing safety for you. Instead of complaining about the restrictions in your life, why not explore? Why not push the boundaries and see what amazing things can happen in your life?
Jonathan,
I would be careful when you use terms like “true _____ is” to define something. I think I get what you’re talking about here and seems like it’s more about creatives having to create within boundaries and not true liberty in the philosophical sense. I would be bummed if what people thought you were implying was that God puts restrictions on our lives and we need to learn to live within those. Just looking for clarity.
Ah, but God does put limits on our lives. We can disobey or neglect those limits. But true liberty is found within His order, His laws, and His plans.
He doesn’t restrict us the way others might. But like a good Father, He has boundaries that are best for us.