What is my freedom good for?

 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

  Galatians 5:13-14

In my mid 20s, I lived a pretty fun and exciting life. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was kind of having a party every night.

After work, I'd meet up with friends for dinner, then we'd stay out until 11pm or so, and God forbid that I be the one to say that I needed to go home. When I did, I would unwind with video games or binge my favorite show until around 2am. Even during the work day, I'd sneak away from my office to do a Pokemon Go raid.

When those days ended, transition to parenthood was quite a shock to me. I had grown so used to that freedom that losing it made me feel depressed for a while.

Nowadays, I'm doing much better, and that's primarily due to realizing that God's will for me was not to just do whatever I wanted all the time. What good is freedom if it's not being sacrificed for something?

In Galatians, Paul reminds us that we’re justified by faith in Jesus, not by following the works of the law (2:16). Then in chapter 5, he addresses what to do with our freedom. For if we are no longer justified through works, what is to keep us from indulging ourselves? If we only use freedom to serve our own desires, we’re not walking by the Spirit (5:16-26). Instead, Paul tells us that we should use our freedom to serve one another in love (5:13).

Looking back, I was using my freedom almost entirely for myself. I wasn't doing anything "bad" (no drunkenness, adultery, stealing etc.). But my daily mission was just to maximize my entertainment.

And there's nothing wrong with enjoying the blessings that God gives us, but if we are to embrace God's commands for our lives, we should consider how much our freedom is being used to love others.

So turns out, freedom isn't about doing whatever I want. Right now, it means sacrificing travel, hobbies, and late nights so I can love my family well. And that's the freedom Paul points us toward: Freedom expressed through love.

Bonus 

Much of my freedom gets sacrificed for bedtime routine:

She thought this pose was really funny

Elaina likes body-slamming Inessa

A nicer photo of sisters

So much time spent reading

Towel fun