Hello Great Family,

I sit in my office looking at my William Wallace sword hung on the wall over my desk. I think of his famous "Freedom!" shout during his brutal execution in London. After suffering horrific torture at the hands of the English, he is offered a chance to make a quick confession for mercy. Instead, he summons his remaining strength to shout "Freedom!" (it is Mel Gibson's image I see in my mind from the movie, "Braveheart").

We love freedom. We just celebrated 250 years of freedom in this country. We are blessed to live in freedom and enjoy the privilege immensely. We also enjoy using that terminology in our Christian living. However, freedom comes with consequences.

This morning, I woke to the sound of Jax barking at me to take him outside. It seemed urgent, like he had some business to attend to, so I got out of bed and led him out the side garage door to a little make shift penned in area made for just such an occasion. Previously, we just opened the glass sliding door and let Jax out on the deck which led him to a much larger fenced in area but we have been working on our deck and that convenience was no longer available.

After Jax finished his business, we came back into the garage and I closed the small door and was heading to the door of our house when I wondered if my son had already left for work so I pushed the garage door opener to see if his car was still there. Almost immediately both Jax and I realized what I had done. Jax looked at me and I looked at him as he bolted toward... FREEDOM! I lunged and dove on top of him before he could make the portal. I had just gotten out of bed and I had not had a drop of coffee let alone stretched for such an ordeal. Now, every muscle in my body and a few bones screamed out in revolt at the spectacle that had just occurred. 

The reason for all of this was because Jax is a house dog. He is not a free-range country dog that roams the wild and comes home only to eat and sleep. We have kept him contained because we live on a busy street and when he gets loose, he seems to always head directly into danger. This has been costly to us in many ways. Every time someone comes to or goes from our house we have to be on guard and recruit help in keeping Jax inside. We have also contracted to have a fine, but expensive, fence constructed in our backyard.

Why do we do this? Before you start making wise cracks about poor dog training, let me give you my answer. Jax loves freedom but we love Jax! We don't want him to get hurt while running free in a dangerous place.

While we enjoy "Christian Liberty" or the freedom to choose what we do and where we go, we are also susceptible to consequences. Galatians 5:1 states, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." God is not a God of rules, rules, rules. John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." God loves us and has made some things off limits for us for our own safety. God is not a cosmic kill-joy set on ruining our lives. He has saved us and freed us from the bonds of sin but we must remain within the boundaries He has set for our own good.

Because Jax is loved, he has it pretty good. Air-conditioned house, comfy bed, free food and water 24 hours a day, copious amounts of treats, toys, occasional trips to the pet resort, etc. but he still wants to run. I'm sure he doesn't know why we don't let him. He might even think we are cruel, non-loving masters bent on ruining his life. It all depends on perspective.

This morning I suffered the humiliation and pain of saving Jax's life and I still hurt. One thing for sure, if it happens again, I would still do what I could to save that dog's life. I love that dumb dog!

Know this... God loves you and He has already done everything to save you. He has established some boundaries for your safety. Be convinced that His boundaries are not barriers to your pleasure. Consider your freedom within His protection a source of comfort and joy.

God Bless,
P.D. (Psalm 139)