It used to bother me when friends would say that as a follower of Christ I am a slave and cannot have the freedom they enjoy. Let’s take a close look at what is termed freedom. I see my friends working hard and long hours Monday to Friday only to give that hard earned pay over to a bartender who serves them freedom in the form of a liquid good time. When the money is spent the owner ushers them out and the good time freedom is over until the next pay check. You are a great guy until the money runs out.
Great marketing is creating a perceived need (real or not), offering a solution to that need and making as much money as possible in the process. It is easy to fall victim to the good times (parties), spend your cash, and be angry with everyone when the fun crashes. After the weekend comes a week of drudgery looking forward to the party to come and so starts a whirlpool of substance fed dysfunction.
They call me a slave! I would rather invest in long term thinking instead of from weekend to weekend. Good times that end in despair are not good times. Friends who are there as long as the money lasts are not friends. I have found joy in following the teaching of Jesus and a freedom that would take a book to explain. Even if you reject Jesus, you have to admit that what is being marketed as the good life is not true.
