With Freedom, Comes Responsibility
Samantha Brindle
My kids have heard me say this phrase a thousand times! If I start the phrase, they can finish it! However, today as I was sharing a prayer request with one of my favorite Mentor Moms about my 17-year-old, I said that phrase and the Holy Spirit convicted me of how I could apply this phrase to my own life!
Kids want freedom from an early age. They want the freedom to eat what they want, go where they want, and to watch what they want. But as parents, we must set boundaries and teach them how to set boundaries. I read a great book for pre-teens and teenagers called Feeding the Mouth that Bites You. This book provides many real-life examples of how to teach kids responsibility by extending freedom (or autonomy as the writer of this book calls it). A great example from the book was teaching older teens that if they want the freedom to choose their own bedtime, they must prove they are responsible enough to set their own alarm clock and wake themselves up. If they try and don’t succeed, then try again in a few months. The list goes on and on.
So, what was God trying to tell me about this phrase in my own life? Well, how about my freedom in Christ? 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”. As a Christ follower, I sometimes feel distant from God and don’t always feel the freedom in Christ that is mentioned in this verse. So, how can I experience true freedom in Christ? How can I feel His presence in my life again when He feels distant? (By the way, when we feel distant from Him, He didn’t move – we did!) We can feel freedom in Christ again when we are responsible enough to slow down and/or put our phone down long enough to pray and spend time with HIM and/or to be responsible enough to study our Bible.
The phrase, “With freedom, comes responsibility” can also be applied to parenting. You have probably all heard Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it”. Wouldn’t you agree that there is nothing more rewarding as a parent than to see spiritual fruit in your child’s heart and life? God has given us the freedom (with instructions) to train them up, but to see spiritual fruit takes hard work, consistency, and responsibility.
Lastly, let’s discuss the phrase “With freedom, comes responsibility” and how we can apply that to our finances. There are MANY verses about finances, but this one always gets my attention: Proverbs 22:7, “The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.” In other words, when we have the freedom to make an Amazon purchase on our credit card, we must be responsible enough to pay it off immediately! OUCH! Amazon is my weak spot, so to prevent me from becoming a slave, I just canceled my prime membership! Y’all pray for me! LOL!
We are all in this together and I’m so thankful to do life with you! Remember, with freedom, comes responsibility! Let’s be responsible Christ followers, our husbands’ biggest cheer leaders, and our kids’ role models as we live freely in the arms of Jesus!
Let’s talk about it….
- As moms, we can sometimes smother our children and try to do everything for them. In what ways can you teach responsibilities to your children at their current ages?
- How is God teaching you responsibilities so that you can walk in freedom as a follower of Christ, wife, and/or mother? (ex. Spend more time in prayer or in the word, allow my children to do more things for themselves, etc.)
- What step can you take this week to experience financial freedom?
