Who of us doesn’t understand that “heavy womb”? Who of us hasn’t felt a deep hunger begin to grow
in our bellies? Who of us hasn’t felt a particular new desire rise up, sure and clear? And who of us
hasn’t—at some point—turned our backs on that desire, that call?
Not that we wanted to. It’s just that we were stuck. Imprisoned, so to speak, by circumstances,
responsibilities, constraints or assumptions which made that desire seem out of reach. We felt trapped,
forced to say “No” when our heart wanted to say “Yes”.
More often than we notice, this is the dilemma when it comes to freedom. It’s not so much about
running away from something as it is about wanting to run toward something but not being able to! In
other words, there is a big difference between “freedom from” and “freedom to.”
Our Unitarian Universalist faith gets this. At its best, it never simply asks us, “What do you need to get
away from?” No, it pushes us to ask the deeper question of “What is it that you want to run toward?”
Mature freedom is never about the absence of all constraints; it’s about being able to commit yourself
to the things that have your heart. Or to put it another way, true freedom is about constraints of our
own choosing.
So what is it for you, friends? Where in your life are you feeling forced to say “No” when your heart
really wants to say “Yes”? What is it that you want to use your freedom for? It’s not the bars of a prison
that make us want to escape; it’s suddenly noticing what’s on the other side of those bars that makes us
want to get out.
So this month, don’t take your eyes off of it. Keep that longing clearly in view. And if you do, you’ll be
surprised how easy it is to bend open those bars… and simply walk out.
Looking for more?
- Visit the Soul Matters Inspiration Facebook page.
- UUCM Members can access additional theme resource materials here.