Compelled to Constraint
“People think removing constraints will make life better. In reality, it usually reveals more of one’s brokenness.” – Admiral William McRaven
The quote above was in response to a question about the benefits of structure, authority, and constraints. It is a response that has stayed with me, in large part because it runs so counter to my default cultural mindset of pursuing freedom, independence, and a desire to forge my own path. To be sure, there is an appropriate tension between these competing ideals, and it is articulated in scripture.
On the one hand, Galatians 5:1 says, “It was for freedom that Christ has set us free.” Clearly, God’s design for you and for me includes significant elements of real and personal freedom. The storyline of scripture repeatedly confirms that a major reason for this is God’s desire to be pursued and chosen by you. He longs for a voluntary and authentic relationship with you, and has designed you to be free to choose—or not choose—Him.
On the other hand, Paul, in 1 Corinthians 9 makes an extensive and compelling case for carefully self-restricting one’s own freedom. I encourage you to read the entire chapter for yourself, but Paul opens with the question, “Am I not free?” before detailing at great lengths all the rights and liberties to which he is entitled. He then closes by explaining why he has denied himself those liberties, choosing instead to be a “slave to everyone” (v. 19) and to “strike a blow to my body and make it a slave” (v. 27). The short version is that Paul desires to obtain the prize reserved for the winner, and if he affords himself all the luxuries and liberties to which he is entitled, it will render him “disqualified for the prize” (v. 27).
My friend, we live in a culture that glories all removal of constraints. You are told to throw off all that holds you back, and to strive to be free of anything that restricts your advancement or your behavior. This, you are told, is the way to win the race of life.
The fatal flaw of this approach is that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. The brokenness of sin runs through every human heart, and the constraints of scripture and your faithful co-laborers in Christ are what keep you operating in the power of God rather than from the brokenness of your own sin. When those restraints are lifted, the brokenness of your sin is revealed and you become vulnerable to its penalty.
Yes, God designed you to be free. But Christ’s love “compels you” to live not constraint-free, but rather “for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Cor. 5:14).
Be bold and throw off the hindrance of sin that ensnares you! (Heb. 12:1) But in doing so, be careful to yield to the God-given constraints that graciously cover your brokenness. In this, you will “run in such a way as to get the prize” (1 Cor. 9:24).
The preceding article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.