When I think of summer, I think of the 4th of July, fireworks and freedom.
Fireworks are a beautiful and exciting display of colorful fireballs with the sound of cannons, but what is freedom?
One definition of freedom that I found is “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.” I think our culture would agree with this narrative which is why Christianity is so countercultural. Culture perceives our faith as enforcing too many restraints, starting with the Ten Commandments.
We need to ask why freedom is so appealing to humans. I believe people desire freedom as we are seeking peace, joy and fulfillment and at the same time, wanting to avoid pain, fear and anxiety.
Nancy and I recently were on a flight from Fort Myers to Minneapolis. They closed the door to the plane, and I was hoping the third extra seat in our row was going to remain vacant, but we were not that fortunate. An intoxicated and belligerent man named Rich was about five rows back and was struggling to find his seat. I heard him say, “I can’t find 4B.” I told him he was sitting next to us. I communicated to him that he could have the window seat which he appreciated. He immediately started talking about how fearful he was of flying.
He proceeded to pull out several single servings of whiskey from his bag and downed them fast. This was not enough to overcome his severe anxiety and fear.
While I tried to ignore this man, Nancy’s approach was compassion. I put my AirPods in but could still hear their conversation. Before the plane took off, Nancy shared with him that she also used to be afraid of flying but she prays now “with beads” and that gives her comfort and peace. His immediate reaction was, “so you’re one of them!”. Nancy pressed on and continued to speak to him in a calm and peaceful manner as if he were one of her patients. She explained to him that many religions have prayed with beads for hundreds and thousands of years. No matter how foolish he thought it was, praying is the power that removes fear and anxiety. Nancy offered him her “beads” and it seemed like a breakthrough as he calmed down.
Rich started sharing more about himself. He was 50, never married, had a girlfriend and had a lot of money to fuel his drug and alcohol addiction. He obviously struggled to feel interior peace. In his mind he had freedom, but freedom for what and from what?
Rich was living the life that our society promotes and proclaims is freedom. He had “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint” but he felt like a boxed in caged animal. Little did he know that true freedom is freedom from sin and addiction.
A staggering majority of the population suffer like Rich. We feel less free and suffer more from fear and anxiety than any time in history. How can we cure and reverse this interior slavery that we suffer with?
Simple answer: Live today like you have six months left. Live SMOL.
If I was told that I had Six Months or Less to Live, I would want to enter the “spiritual gym” (opposite of gyms where you look in the mirror and flex your muscles) and prepare my soul to meet Jesus Christ.
First things first: I would take an inventory of my current relationships to see if there is anyone I need to forgive. Maybe there is someone I am holding a grudge against or someone that I need to ask for forgiveness from. Ask yourself: Are all my relationships in a great place of unity? Is there anyone I’d avoid at a party? What is one thing I could do to heal this relationship? Apologies go a very long way. They tend to be unforgettable. Apologies almost always leave a very positive experience.
What other activities does “SMOL” recommend?
If Catholic, I would simultaneously seek forgiveness regularly from our Heavenly Father in the sacrament of penance. I’d want to receive Jesus as much as possible so I would attend daily mass to receive him in Holy Eucharist. I would pray more and seek His word from Sacred Scripture. I would tell my family and friends how much I love them and that I am grateful for their lives. I would accept each day as a gift and as an opportunity to strengthen my soul one more day at the spiritual gym. I would remind myself that our physical life is temporary, but our spiritual life is eternal.
The reality is, life on earth is a blink. At some point, we are all going to have Six Months or Less to Live. Why not be intentional and start training like a Navy Seal at the spiritual gym now? God gave us all free will (freedom).
By living SMOL, we separate ourselves from the empty desires and shackles of this world and intentionally desire and receive eternal peace, joy, love and freedom.
Living SMOL is the ultimate path to find your eternal freedom and destiny. #LiveSMOL
