Freedom!

Freedom!

If the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

John 8:36

Sometimes I’m amazed at the freedoms we now take for granted that older generations couldn’t appreciate. My grandma still seems horrified when I dress my little girls in cute blouses and jeans for church instead of putting them in dresses! Things change, and we embrace new kinds of freedom. This is even true of Christmas decorations in Amish homes. Author Cindy Woodsmall writes,

I’m sure it won’t surprise you when I say that the Amish use almost no decorations. Most Amish consider such “trappings” a distraction from the story of Christ’s birth.

But for many decades they’ve enjoyed making or buying Christmas cards, and they enjoy sending and receiving them. They often hang up the cards throughout their homes as a form of simple holiday trimming. Also, many Amish have traditionally put candles in the window and light them after dark, giving the house a warm, homey feel during Christmastime.

Even the Amish, however, are not immune to change. As the years have progressed, they are enjoying a few more freedoms . . . and decorations. It is now common for some Amish to place battery-operated candles in their windows, although this wouldn’t take place in several of my Amish friends’ homes.

Most Amish are comfortable putting candles surrounded by wreaths on surfaces throughout the house. But you won’t find a Christmas tree or stockings hanging inside an Amish home. Based on the second commandment, which says not to make any graven image, you won’t find a nativity scene or angel figurines, and definitely no traces of Santa.

Are there freedoms you are appreciating that earlier generations didn’t get to experience? What about the freedoms that the next generation will embrace? Are you willing to have an open mind and heart about those things? The more we grow in our relationship in Christ, the more we understand that we have more freedoms than we first believed. Take time to consider whether the “shall nots” that you cling to are truly from God or from generations that came before you. When you grow in Christ’s freedom, you are free indeed!

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for the freedom You give. Help me to embrace it more.