I've been listening to the latest Mars Hill Audio with Ken Meyer. If you are a heady person and like to think about complicated things, I recommend this mp3 subscription, http://marshillaudio.org/. If not your going to think it sounds too much like NPR and will turn it off.
This quarter's journal features some discussions about freedom, particularly with respect to free market or economic issues, but they say you can only understand economic freedom in light of theology. (This post isn't about economics in any way. It's about relationship.)
Here's my illustration and question. This morning after riding my exercise bike I took a 5 minute cool-down walk down the block. Caspian (my pooch) knows when my bike ride is coming to an end. He usually shows up at peddleside when my timer beeps or my peddling slows.
He knows that I take him on this walk. I'll take him without a leash.
I take him because I know he needs the walk as much as I do before he's locked in his crate for the day. I don't use a leash because I'm tire and don't feel like looking for one for a five minute walk. Besides, most of the neighbors are off at work or school. There's little chance of running across another dog walker.
This is what I was thinking this morning.
When I walk him without a leash, because I know that I'm violating my HOA rules, I demand that he heal the whole time. He must walk a foot or two from my left leg. If he starts to move ahead or is distracted by a fun smell, I immediately give him a "hey" or a quick foot tap to remind him that he has to be close. He's getting pretty go at this because he loves walking with me.
If I were to go for a walk in the middle of the day, or a little longer of a walk, I'd put him on lead. He likes that too. On command, he'll even jump up an stick his nose into his Gentle Leader because his knows what that means and that means a fun walk. We have a long leash. I think it's 12-feet long. When we walk, I let him use all 12 plus as long as there aren't any cars, small children or white fluffy dogs that he loves soooooo much. He can smell every smell and pee on every bush or cable box. What fun for a dog!
So, my question. Which one affords him more freedom? He he free when he has the ability to run off but stays close because of his respect for me? Or is he free when he's allowed to do pretty much what ever he wants as long as I can pull him back by the leash?
Which picture is paints your relationship with God?
