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4 I The Best Online Education System in the world
LIVING FREE
Kathlyn Q. Barrozo
Class of 1991, University of Santo Tomas
B.S. Medical Technology
It’s been said that the best things in life are free. That may not seem so for us who have to work hard everyday
to get the most out of every effort we make. All our endeavors seem to present challenges left and right. But
have we ever thought about why we experience so many difficulties that enslave us? If we look at ourselves
closely, we would somehow find that many of us continue to be too bound to our goals so we feel “jailed” by
them. Taking it easy has never been an option for most of us mainly because we set too many goals, many of
them extreme.
We are not machines that can work endlessly. Why even machines break down at some point, in fact. We
always tend to focus on what we can accomplish long term than what we have accomplished short term. We
pay no particular attention to our small achievements, considering them inconsequential. Maybe, that’s why
we often feel tired and burned out too easily. The bondage of our daily goals is too heavy.
Let us remember how God Himself reminds us to take a break once in a while. Let us cast our burdens upon
Him, for he is mightier than any heavy storm that engulfs us in bondage. He wants us to be free, not enslaved
by our ambitions and held in chains by our endless desires. Hard work is rewarded, but even the superheroes in
us should learn to let go and let God sometimes. There are just too many things in life that, although free, tend
to make us slaves. So we work ourselves out day in and day out trying to reach for them. It’s always good to
make our reach farther than our grasp, but we must also learn to give ourselves the freedom to laugh at a
child’s simple joke or smile at the chaos in our world.
To be forever bound by our ambitions is never healthy. God wants to see how His own work in us becomes
successful. Let us live spiritual lives while working to reach our dreams. Let us not be enslaved by worldly
inhibitions. To be so is simply not healthy.
Let us forgive ourselves for our failures, and accept that nobody can be as perfect as our Creator. He stands by
us no matter what. He does not take credit for His work in and on us. His one and only joy lies in our ability to
share more of ourselves to the people we live and work with.
When we are able to finally say that we have worked to the best of our ability and are prepared to work for our
Creator, then we are truly free.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1.
Why is it difficult for most people to let loose?
2.
Do you find that people can be so restrictive at times? Describe specific instances when that has
happened to you personally.
3.
How can we be free from the bondage that is created by our own selves?
4.
At what particular instances in your life do you feel “boxed in”?
5.
Is it possible to enjoy complete freedom from life’s many challenges? Why or why not?