Dear Reader,
I received a text today
"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." — Nelson Mandela
It seems simple and straightforward, yet I ask myself:
"What does it mean to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others?"
When I was younger, I often thought freedom meant being able to do whatever I wanted. Many people define liberty as the absence of restraint—the ability to follow their own desires and determine their own course.
Lived experience has taught me that freedom is something much deeper.
The philosopher John Stuart Mill wrote:
"The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs."
True freedom is not selfish. It does not dominate, manipulate, control, or demand. It allows others the dignity of their own journey, their own lessons, and their own relationship with God.
Recovery teaches this lesson in a very personal way.
In Alcoholics Anonymous, we learn that we cannot think, drink, recover, or grow for another person. We can love them. We can support them. We can share our experiences. But we cannot walk their path for them.
One of AA's great principles is found in the phrase:
"Live and let live."
That simple expression contains beautiful wisdom.
It reminds us that every human being has been given the gift of agency.
We are free to make choices, and others are free to do the same.
Sometimes the greatest act of love is not taking control, but stepping aside and allowing another person to learn, grow, and discover truth for themselves.
The scriptures teach a similar principle.
Paul wrote:
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free." (Galatians 5:1)
Yet in the same chapter he adds:
"By love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13)
Christian liberty is never merely freedom from something.
It is freedom for something.
Freedom to love.
Freedom to forgive.
Freedom to serve.
The Book of Mormon expresses this beautifully:
"Men are free according to the flesh... they are free to choose liberty and eternal life."
(2 Nephi 2:27)
God Himself does not force righteousness.
He invites.
He persuades.
He teaches.
He waits.
He honors agency even when we choose poorly.
Perhaps that is one of the greatest lessons of spiritual maturity.
To respect another person's freedom does not mean we agree with every choice they make.
It means we recognize that God works with them just as He works with us.
To enhance another person's freedom is to encourage growth rather than dependence, responsibility rather than control, understanding rather than judgment, and love rather than coercion.
The older I become, the more I believe freedom is not measured by how much power I have over my own life.
It is measured by how willing I am to let others live theirs.
Perhaps true liberty is found when we can stand beside another person—not controlling, fixing, or directing—but supporting them as fellow travelers on the road.
In that spirit, freedom becomes more than a personal blessing.
It becomes a gift we share.
Amen
🙏🧘♂️💕🤗☮️
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