Freedom

Never give up; you never know until you try.

Monday we in the U.S. celebrated Independence Day. To some it involved a day away from work; to some it meant grilling out with friends and/or family; to some it meant fireworks displays; to some it meant all of the above.

It seems as if every devotional piece I've read this week has been about freedom and has quoted various Bible passages concerning freedom. "Freedom" is the "flavor of the week," meaning next week will bring a different flavor to capture our attention. It's still this week, though, so I hope you'll indulge me as I add my observations to the subject of freedom.

Saturday my friend "A" and I had a garage sale, bringing in a little money selling items we no longer want. We had a few customers and had fun hanging out together, even making a little extra cash. I was actually surprised by the amount of traffic we had. I was also surprised by 2 people's interaction with me.

Person 1 knew my face, remembering me from high school, though he didn't know my name. He was a couple years ahead of me, and we didn't run in the same circle, but he remembered from whence he knew me. (I looked in my yearbook when I got home and vaguely remembered seeing his picture before; I still don't remember him.)

Person 2, also older but a former neighbor from way back, used my name when he said goodbye as he left the sale. I didn't know he would remember my name, but he obviously did.

I was really glad both men seemed pleased, or at least not unhappy, to see me. That started my little brain to really working on the importance of treating people right and having a good reputation--people have long memories about some things. Being highly regarded brings a freedom of its own, while having a bad reputation brings bondage.

I'd like to think I've left nothing but good feelings and good memories of me in my wake, but I know there have been times when I was less than kind, less than considerate. We've all had bad days, circumstances we found ourselves in that brought out the worst in us, binding us.

That's why it's so important to surround ourselves with people who bring out the best in us and to be mindful of how we treat people; they remember us, even if we think they won't. As I noted in "The Payoff," you can never go wrong treating people with respect and kindness.