Today’s blog post is from Rev. Amy Cornell, Compass Rose Academy’s campus pastor.

Galatians 5:1 (The Message): “Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.”

When my husband and I were first married, we adopted a rescue dog named “Samson.” At the time, we were living in a very small farming community. As every country dog does, Samson roamed around the ‘neighborhood’ initially and got acquainted with his surroundings. After the first week with us, however, Samson chose to make his permanent home our front porch. He would raise his head slightly for the three cars that meandered down our road, but other than that, Samson was content to lay on that porch and soak up love and sun in his new home.

When we moved to the ‘big city’ of Wabash, however, things changed. Samson no longer had the freedom to roam. Although he had a fenced-in yard, the restrictions killed him. He would find every trick in the book to jump the fence. When we got a long lead, he would chew it off. Any chance he got, Samson would break free so he could once again roam. We became great friends with nearby neighbors who knew about our “prodigal dog.”

It’s funny, isn’t it, that when we are given total freedom and trust, we tend to stay close to our surroundings and do the right thing. When we are given restrictions, however, we want to break free. We disobey.

This is why God says that the law brings death. When we are placed under heavy restrictions and rules, we get so weighed down under the rules that all we want to do is break free. Yet Jesus says that the fulfillment of the law is true freedom in Christ. When we know first we are trusted and loved, we will stay near, resting in the arms of our Heavenly Father.

Today, may you rest in the Freedom Christ died to give.

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