Every Broken Idol Led to Greater Freedom

As a high schooler, I played the piano, and one of my favorite songs to play over and over again was the song “Freedom” by Jim Brickman. 

Little did I know back then that freedom would be something I would continually be seeking as an adult. I sometimes wonder if our younger selves have a wisdom that only becomes clear later.

Throughout my adulthood, I have continually been faced with idols. People who I’ve put on a pedestal whose relationship with me I valued perhaps more than my relationship with God at times. Over time, these idols even evolved to spiritual attachments.

One by one God has broken those. Each time, it was enormously painful. There was clinging. There was grief. There was anger. There was bitterness. There was abandonment. There was confusion. But then after these faded away...

There was peace. There was freedom. There was healing. There was increased closeness to God, and often, there was more joy. 

I was reminded of this recently in a meditation about Peter being led out of prison by an angel to his freedom. The guided meditation asked: What freedom is hidden in your chains? 

Think about that today. What are your chains, and what freedom do they hold if you let them go -- if you break the idols?

Sometimes freedom is in our hands. We just have to let go and choose to break free.