Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1 KJV
I have one daughter. She is a great child. We’ve always had a very close relationship, and have been through a lot of life together. She is a Senior in high school this year and turned 18 in early December. As she prepares for college, things are changing.
It’s been a subtle transition over the last four years of high school. I have slowly moved from authoritarian and disciplinarian into a role of mentor. I’ve had to learn to watch her make decisions for her life that would not be my choices and let her ask for my input and allow her to make the decision for herself. I’m not saying that there are no rules and she has been able to do whatever she wants. It’s been a slow transition and she is a great person that I’m proud to be associated with.
As we neared her 18th birthday, we had a conversation. I’d like to say I handled it beautifully, but I’m a real person and, if I’m honest, I could’ve done better. The conversation started with my daughter informing me that once she turned 18, she would no longer be a minor. She would be able to do things without my permission. She said she would be emancipated. To be honest, I was tracking with her quietly until the “emancipation” word was thrown out.
I was irritated…emancipated? I carried her for nine months through a difficult pregnancy; emergency room at 9 weeks old, surgery at 10 months old, milk allergy, reflux, divorce, single mother, kindergarten, cuts and scrapes along the way, staples in her knee, ambulance ride at 8 yrs old, middle school, blended family, stepfather’s death, single mother…again, high school, first boyfriend, heartbreak, college applications… Need I go on?
Shouldn’t I be the one getting emancipated? Shouldn’t I be the one wanting to be emancipated? I explained calmly, that if she used that word again she would see what being emancipated felt like. It would involve her paying rent, not using my car to get around, not using my smart phone to communicate, and not wearing all those clothes up in the closet of the room in the house that I own (not my finest moment).
Upon reflection, I realize that she didn’t mean to hurt my feelings or make me feel unappreciated for the sacrifices I’ve made through her life (she even said as much during our conversation). She is growing up and her whole life I’ve been preparing her for the time when she would take flight. The time is near and she is getting ready to fly. She will make mistakes; but I’ve shown her and taught her how to get up, regroup, and start over.
More importantly, I’ve introduced her to the One who has the power to truly emancipateher. In taking Christ as her Savior, He has made her free from the bondage of sin.
I think about how I must make Christ feel. I accepted His free gift of salvation and then all I do is exercise my free will. I’m sure that makes Christ feel the same way I felt when my daughter used the word emancipation. But instead of handling me the way I handled my daughter, He lovingly lets me lean on Him, regroup, and start over. When I bring up my mistakes and sins, He says, “What are you talking about? I’ve forgiven you.” That is freedom. That is truly the definition of emancipation.
It’s interesting to me that the Lord put this subject on my heart to share with you the week of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. A phrase from his “I Have a Dream” speech that keeps ringing in my head is “free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last.” In Christ, I thank God Almighty, I AM FREE AT LAST. It is great to be eternally emancipatedthrough Christ!
Dear Lord,
Thank You for giving me the free gift of salvation through Your son, Jesus. Thank You for lovingly providing a way for me to be free from the bondage of sin and thank You for not making me pay the price for my sin. Thank You for my Savior. Through Him, I am free at last. Emancipated for eternity. Amen
Archive: Originally posted on awidowsmight.org in February 2015