In this letter to the Christians in Corinth the Apostle Paul was warning them against the perils of immorality; letting them know that relationships should exist within the guidelines that God has given. Within the Kingdom of God there is great freedom. Jesus taught that knowing the truth will make us free.  But even that freedom comes with boundaries.

I was reminded of this recently as I merged onto the freeway. There was a stretch of highway – approximately one mile long that had been resurfaced. Although it had been repaved, the white striping that divided the lanes had not been repainted yet. The result, a long empty stretch of black pavement, felt quite odd. As a long time driver I have always driven within the lanes. Suddenly, there were no lanes!  Technicall I could drive anywhere I wanted to. I could zigzag back and fourth across the 4 lane area – and even do donuts because there were no boundaries.  But that would not have been the wise choice to make. The New Living Translation of Corinthians 6:12 puts Paul’s statement like this “You say, ‘I am allowed to do anything’ —but not everything is good for you.”

Weaving back and forth across the road would not have been good for me – or any of the other cars on the road. Even though I was completely free, I still needed to consider other drivers and the impact that my “creative driving” could have on them.

That is also true with life choices.  Although we may be free to do anything we choose, we need to consider the impact that our choices may have on others.

Learning the lesson of “staying in your lane” comes with experience and maturity. I’ve had lots of opportunities to hone the skill over the years.

As a child I loved fairy tails and the idea of finding a gingerbread house was intriguing. I dreamt of being able to gorge myself on  gingerbread walls, sugar pane windows, even gumdrop doorknobs. However, one unfortunate candy binge taught me that you can have too much of a good thing.

As a young college student I embraced life on campus. Living in the dorms, meeting new people, hanging out. As a grownup of 18 I was my own boss. I could set my own curfew even stay out all night if I wanted to; I was free!  However, a couple of all night parties taught me that I wasn’t as much of a late night party animal as I thought.  Although I was free to stay out as late as I wanted, I learned to exercise the freedom of going home when I got tired.

I have always been a straightforward person who believes in speaking the truth in love. I know that I am free to speak my mind.  However, I have learned to temper that freedom with wisdom and to value other people’s feelings. I’ve learned to consider the relationship and relate in ways that will communicate truth without bruising the other person. As a voice teacher I learned to give new students (even those with questionable talent) assessments that would not destroy their self-confidence; allowing me to move them down the road toward vocal excellence.

Expressing an opinion even if solicited can be tricky. What is the correct answer to “Does this make me look fat”? Is there a kinder gentler way to tell someone her new perm looks like a brillo pad?  I don’t know but if you value the relationship, you’ll find a way.

So use your freedom wisely and stay in your lane.