Freedom

20 years ago today, Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years in prison in South Africa. He was imprisoned for "sabotage" against the South African government, particularly for his work against apartheid, or segregation. In essence, we was thrown in jail for trying to free his race from oppression. In honor of this anniversary, I'm picking up a copy of Mandela's autobiography, "Long Walk to Freedom" from the library this afternoon.

I don't know what it is like to be in prison. I don't know what it is like to be a prisoner in my own country. But, in some way I do know what it is like to be a prisoner. I know what it is like to be held hostage by sin and shame. And I know the relief and joy of being set free. I know the struggle that I went through to get free and the daily fight that it takes to stay free.

I also know that there are some areas of my life where I'm not free. I'm still be a prisoner of finding the approval of others and of my need to succeed. I still fight to understand that God loves me and will use me even if I'm not perfect. I'm still bound by thinking that God's blessings for me and the church are tied to how good I am. I still need to find freedom.

That's why I'm excited that Parkside is spending 6 weeks to travel together on the road to Freedom. I'm excited to journey with the members of my group together to find where we're captives and to fight for our freedom and the freedom of others.