Imagine your freedom is a house, paid for, and move in ready. Imagine that it was a gift. Something you never deserved, or earned. Imagine that each room is uniquely crafted to perfectly support your talents, purpose, and livelihood. Imagine that it’s better than you could have ever thought possible. Imagine that you step through the door with your few possessions and walk down a long hallway full of hope, wonder, and possibility. You reflect on your life, thankful to be free from the life of bondage you once lived.

You were desperate and controlled by an enemy who only fed you scraps. The enemy lied to, convincing you to sell yourself short and to live a life of homelessness. You were relegated to a never ending chase for craps of fleeting happiness. Endlessly temporary scraps. Food, pleasure, accomplishments, and leisure, none of it lasted. You were always left exposed and wanting more. You were trapped, mind, body, and soul. You couldn’t help yourself. The worst part was that you were so alone in your bondage. The enemy was seemingly your only friend, your only sense of comfort.  

But then a real friend came along and He taught a new way to live, in freedom and abundance. The new friend called you up to a place of higher living. The friend handed you the keys to your new home, Freedom. 

So here you are back in reality. It’s your first day in Freedom, and you are so thankful. Your house is full of hope, wonder, and possibility. You go to the first room you see. You settle in and relish in the glory of it. You then get curious about the rest of the house. You walk to the door, look out into the long hallway and something strange happens. The hallway that previously acted as a bridge to possibility.  All of a sudden seems foreboding. The idea of exploring Freedom is now scary. You strangely begin to miss your scraps, as you stare into the hallway. You start to hear the voice of the enemy again like an out of tune orchestra that is crescendoing in your head . You slam the door, and you embrace the comfort of the room and the familiar voice of the enemy. The lie that Freedom is a big empty house begins to play in your head. 

Fast forward. You’ve been in Freedom, for quite some time now but you haven’t left that room. You have found treasure in the room. You have even tried venturing down the hallway. But your enemies voice, always calls you back to the comfort of the room. You sense your friends voice silently drawing you to the rest of the home. It’s a strange phenomenon. The voice is wrapped in silence but somewhere in the silence you hear rejoicing and laughing, you feel a rush of joy and peace , you even see a warm light that is so inviting. But then the warm silence is always drowned out by the  loud and chaotic voice of your enemy. It always crashes and bangs around in your head. So you always slam the door and embrace comfort. 

Until one day at the end of the hallway, you hear a knock at the front door of the house. You open your room door and peep into the hallway. You hear the sound of your  friend calling at the door. You feel the drawing stronger than ever. The out of tune orchestra in your head begins to play, but this time it’s not as loud. This gives you the courage to step into the hallway. The further you get down the hallway, the stronger and more bold you feel. Your enemy also gets stronger but somehow you fight past it. As you head to the door. You see glimpses of rooms you never explored and that hope and wonder begins to come back. You finally get to the door and open it and you experience not only your new friends voice but the friends presence is there. You are engulfed in a rush of that same joy,  peace, laughter and warmth that you sensed in the silence.  Your friend rushes in grabs you by the hand and excitedly shows you around Freedom. For the time being you forget all about your enemy and embrace the joy and laughter waiting for you in Freedom. You are overwhelmed to find that, though you brought very few possessions. The house you thought was empty is fully furnished and perfect.

After a while your friend has to go, you say your goodbyes and close the door behind your friend. You turn around and again look down that hallway. Your brought back to reality, as the enemy and the banging and clashing of that orchestra now creep back in. You see the door to your room, half way open and feel drawn to it. Then you remember everything you just experienced in Freedom, and the joy that it brought. There’s also this strange sense that, though your friend just left, it feels like their still there. But the orchestra is getting louder and your still in the hallway and you wonder what you should do. You know what you could do but what will you do. What will you do!  – written by Micheal Carpenter