April 27, 2022

Most of us – at least in our culture – put pressure on ourselves to be a certain way. That pressure sometimes has parental or societal origin, but usually it comes from within. I suppose this is not entirely a bad thing; it can stimulate change and production. 

But it mostly bad, and the change and production the pressure produce are usually short-lived. You certainly don’t enjoy the results as much as you expected to, because the pressure just moves on to different inner territory. As the saying goes, you are only as good as your last… fill in the blank. Whatever accomplishment momentarily appeases the pressure.

How does this sound? “For freedom Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1) Sounds like freedom to me.

“O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Collect for Peace, page 99).”