09/03/20 TRUE FREEDOM — When she was in elementary school, one day our daughter was having trouble with her math homework. It involved finding common denominators, then adding and subtracting fractions. Frustrated, she came to me and said, “This is so confusing! Dad, didn’t Jesus say if I knew the truth, I would be FREE?” “That’s right!” I said. “Well, then,” she continued, “since Jesus has made me free, I just want to add the numerators and then add the denominators and call that the answer. Am I FREE to do that?”

I cut a piece of notebook paper into 12 (nearly) equal pieces. She agreed with me that one fourth of the sheet was 3 pieces and one third, 4 pieces. But if we did what she suggested, then 1/3 + 1/4 would be (1+1)/(3+4) = 2/7, which is less than half. But, actually, 1/3 + 1/4 of the paper is 4 pieces plus 3 pieces, or 7 of the 12 pieces so 1/3 + 1/4 = 7/12 (more than half!), the only true, right and correct answer.

I tried to explain to her that being free does NOT mean ignoring TRUTH and RIGHT in favor of what is clearly FALSE and/or WRONG. When I see her now, a godly wife and mother of three fine sons, I think she believed me. It seems that LOTS of other people in our nation need to learn that lesson ASAP as well.