Freedom & Liberty

"Abide ye in the liberty wherewith ye are made free; entangle not yourselves in sin, but let your hands be clean, until the Lord comes." - Doctrine and Covenants 88:86

When you hear the word "freedom" you may think about no rules, no one to look over your shoulder, and the ability to do what ever you want.  It's Paradise!  Now liberty, is a vital part of being free. Free may mean no bonds, but is easy to lose that freedom without liberty.  I see Liberty as a state of being free, and the ability to go to ones limits, while still being responsible with the freedoms you have been given.  Have you ever thought of Liberty as responsibility?  Responsibility can be a word that leaves a bad taste in ones mouth.  But what good is being responsible going to do anyone? It means there are rules.  Well this can be hard to admit, but . . . these rules for freedom and liberty are not there to spoil the fun.  In fact, it is there only to make those good feelings better and help them last longer.

Freedom is great to have, I enjoy it myself.  But without Liberty, or the responsibility to take care of that Freedom, it quickly becomes bondage or bad addicting habits.  There are many things in this world which will turn freedom to bondage in a heartbeat.  Addictive substances such as alcohol, drugs, or pornography, turn you into nothing more than a slave to it.  There isn't any freedom there.  You are always hungry for more, and there is no more satisfaction in life.  Your life is controlled by that vice.  You have allowed the enemy of you soul to take you captive, and he leads you here and there in heavy chains.

Do not suppose what may seem to be freedom trick you into a false sense of security.  The Scriptures show us how to be truly free.  In 2nd Nephi we are told that we have the freedom (the ability to do as we please) to choose liberty or captivity.  In other words, our choices bring happiness or misery.  Each choice we make will build or destroy ourselves.  We have the responsibility to do what's right, but we still have the freedom to do what we want.  But as I said before, when we make bad choices our freedoms become fewer and fewer.  We've all made mistakes but we are not going to be confined to "prison" for eternity.  Christ suffered and died for our mistakes and acts as our mediator between us and our punishments.  He has taken the punishment for our mistakes so it is possible to have freedoms we want.  He also works with us to fix our problems and mistakes so that we can qualify for eternal life.  But the clock is ticking.  If we do not fix ourselves now, it may be too late (Alma 12:24).  But as we repent and do everything in our power to do better, we will have a clean record before the judgement seat.  With that comes the ultimate freedom: Eternal Life.  It truly pays to be good.