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What makes you free?

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, or if this is a repeat idea, but it's something that I've come to understand again in recent days so perhaps it bears repeating...

One of my favorite books is The First Circle by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. In the book, which tells the story of life in a sharashka - a kind of work-prison for political prisoners who had intellectual skills that were desired for exploitation - some of the prisoners are brought before a much higher authority to account for their work. One of them, Bobynin, is defiant and strong in the face of the authority. He is able to do this for a couple of reasons. First, he is attributed to have the type of personality that is "spiritually superior." Even his bosses at the prison are deferential to him. The line from the book goes something like - you can beat a man into submission, removing all kinds of privileges and status, but you can never get past the spiritual superiority of some people...

But the real reason why he can be strong is that he is free. As he sits in front of the authority, who tries in vain to intimidate him, Bobynin lets him know that he cannot be intimidated. The secret to his apparent freedom? He has nothing else to lose. The war took away his family, his home, everything. Then he was put in prison, where is ability to come and go was removed. Finally, even his clothing had deteriorated to the point where he could claim possession of nothing - even his underwear was issued by the state. What he told the authority was that you must leave people with something if you're wanting to exercise authority. Once everything is taken away people become free all over again...

In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul recites some of the benefits of suffering:

6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation....

All things will work for our consolation and salvation. It is in the suffering that we find our strength.

Comments

Anonymous said…
This entry really gave me a profound sense of realization. I appreciate your intelligence and for the way you express yourself. It is truly amazing.
November 14, 2010 at 11:07 AM
Anonymous said…
This entry made me cry. Thank you.
November 14, 2010 at 11:11 AM
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