What's it like to be truly free? I guess it depends upon who's asking the question. Is it freedom from politics, tyranny, prison, laws, restrictions, demands, reality, parents, obligations, death, poverty, age or limitations? I hope I have covered most expectations.

When I was 16 and got my shiny new spectacular driver's license, I knew what freedom was. It was sitting in my dad's car, turning on the motor and driving down Fourth Avenue in Huntington, West Virginia. I drove with the windows down – no AC back in those days – so I could feel the breeze and smell that soft summer mix of popcorn as I passed the downtown movie theatre and mown grass over by the city park.

Freedom was also very strongly felt when World War II was over just eight years ago and I knew my father and uncles had fought for it against the Axis and won, and my future and the future of America was a history well-earned.

As I grow older, I have come to realize that even complete freedom is not that certain, is up for debate and there are more definitions than possibilities.

Allow me to quote Abraham Joshua Heschel, a favorite philosopher theologian of mine, "It is dangerous to take human freedom for granted."

Dr. Rachel Remen writes, "Whenever anyone moves towards freedom, God Himself is there."

In the Gospel of St. Thomas – a non-canonical book that didn't make it into our Bible – we read, "You are already free. You only have to know and realize this truth."

The questions keep coming, and this one is the biggie, "Who stops us from being free?"

"We do!"

Let's get biblical. "Are you and your families going to serve the gods of Egypt or those of the Amorites or are you and your families going to serve the Lord?"

Their answer, "We will worship and serve the Lord!" Joshua 24.

Joshua's reply, "I don't think so. This Lord is holy and jealous. If you choose Him and then break your promise, He will destroy you. Do you understand?"

The people are given the opportunity of free choice. As one, the people respond, "We choose the Lord God!"

With all I have said above, here's my statement, "True freedom is to understand one of the options and the rules and regulations as well as rewards and punishments, or to choose to refuse one of the options and face the consequences of our choice. Hang on, now! We are not free to not choose. We are only free to choose.

I was taught to think Calvinistic. I wasn't taught to act like a Calvinist. I do accept his position on irresistible grace. That sounds pretty good until I decided than it must not be that irresistible because too many people resisted. I will now confess that I am a sort of Pelagian – not the kind of a stubborn person some may believe – so let's just set that aside for now. I do not believe that God will drag us kicking and screaming into church, but does allow us to choose. Paul wrote in Galatians 5, "For freedom, Christ has set us free. Make the right choice and stand fast."

He should have added, "You know what happens if you make the wrong choice."

When I put that driver's license in my wallet and sat in that car, I held the world in my hands with two choices. I could drive that car responsibly, following the rules of the road, or I could drive that car as fast as I could, ignoring stop signs, pedestrians, small animals, other vehicles and trees. Choosing option one has allowed me 66 years of driving with only one warning: you cannot coast through a stop sign.

Today is like the first day of the rest of our lives. Make the right choice.

Thanks, God!