Yoder: Freedom can be great if not taken to extremes

What does freedom mean? To me, freedom means that if I don't agree with someone, I can say so. They may not like it or they may not like me for saying it, but I have the freedom to express my thoughts. They have the freedom to disagree and to express their own thoughts. They have the freedom to think I'm an idiot. I have the freedom to think likewise.

Even if I say something negative against the government, I have the freedom to say it. I won't be thrown in prison. My family won't be hunted down and harassed. My possessions won't be seized. My life won't be ruined. I can stage a protest. Others may join me. We can paint signs and walk around holding them, bringing attention to our beliefs. Freedom means we won't face retribution for our actions. Tar and feathers can only happen in the form of words.

Unfortunately, sometimes we as human beings take this freedom to an extreme. Sometimes people protest in places they do not belong, saying things that decent people do not say. They are hurtful and unkind, and yet, they have the freedom to do so. The French writer Voltaire said it so eloquently. "I disagree strongly with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

If I don't like something my church is doing, I have the freedom to say so. I also have the freedom to choose another church. Or, I have the freedom not to go to church at all. Most importantly, I have the freedom to go to church openly and without the fear of retribution. My friend Pastor Tom LoVan has been to underground churches in other countries. He knows what it's like to travel in secret to a place of worship that, if discovered, leads to prison, or worse. After Tom visited one such church the pastor was thrown in jail. Tom worked hard to get him set free.

Tom also knows what it's like to have a price on his head. One country did not want him talking about God. They not only banned him from the country, they had dire consequences in store for him if he showed up. God's truth is powerful. It changes hearts. It changes lives. It can even change countries. The price was been lifted from Tom's head. He was allowed back in. And God is flourishing in that country.

Being Tom's friend has changed how I look at freedom. He's the only person I know who was a child soldier. We laugh about the fact that the gun he carried back then was taller than he was. We laugh because he has a great sense of humor. We also laugh because it's so absurd.

Tom came to this country as a refugee and found freedom. The freedom to study, to learn, to grow and to become an incredible person, which he did. He has the freedom to help others, which he does every day. He also has the freedom to wear a suit that looks like the American flag. Of course, his wife had the freedom to ban that suit from his wardrobe. But I miss it. It was very colorful. The memory of it stills makes me laugh. Tom is colorful not only in dress but in personality. Sometimes his name will come up and someone will laugh just at the sound of his name. But it's always with a smile and with deep affection. To choose our friends is a freedom.

I have the freedom to stand up with my hand on my heart during the singing of The Star Spangled Banner. I have the freedom to carry the Pledge of Allegiance in my heart. I have the freedom to thank our veterans for defending our freedoms throughout the 237 years this country has been a country. I have the freedom to be forever grateful to them and their families. This country is not a perfect country, but I love it and I'm truly thankful that this is where I live.

I have the freedom to believe that real freedom came more than 2,000 years ago when Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. For my sins. For that, I am eternally thankful. And I realize that freedom isn't free. It's priceless.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free..." (Galatians 5:1). Live a life of freedom.

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Yoder: Freedom can be great if not taken to extremes