Rejection And Freedom

Few of us take rejection very well as we all want to be part of something greater than ourselves, so much so it seems we are prepared to modify or even compromise our personal belief system (what we believe about ourselves) to gain or keep that acceptance. And thereby we project an image of ourselves which, simply put, is pleasing to others whom we may hold in high esteem. We hold them in esteem because for instance they know more than us and can pontificate on many matters scriptural and so on, and whose approval we may desire to make us feel good about ourselves etc. This is putting one's foot on the slippery slope of power and control, because we are handing our own power over to others; and control of ourselves to control by the group or its tacit leader and legalism. Of course we don't know we're doing this, as we have become well socialised by this time into this sort of ‘going along to get along’ behaviour. We in essence hand over our freedom which Christ died to secure for us. Freedom in Christ is emancipation from the arbitrary rule of men. The freedoms I mean are these:

To see and hear what we see and hear, rather than what we're supposed to see and hear; to think what we think, rather than what we're supposed to think; feel what we feel, rather than what we're supposed to feel; imagine what we imagine; rather than what we're supposed to imagine.

When these freedoms are compromised, as they are in all of us from childhood, then we are mystified, we cannot trust ourselves, indeed we become taught not to trust ourselves. Hence we are unable to exercise self control because we've handed that power over to another or others.

Bro. John Stibbs (Pine Rivers, Australia)