For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. -Galatians 5:17

It truly is a great reversal that we believe by seeking our own desires we will somehow end up discovering who we are and that this discovery will free us. 

It is true: It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. -Ephesians 1:11Meaning, once we discover who we truly are, in Christ, this truth will in fact free us. But seeking our own desires and will, will never lead us to Him… Freedom. This kind of self-seeking can however lead us to rock-bottom which may jar us enough to make us look up, if that is the route one would like to choose. Like Paul writes in Galatians, our self-interest is actually at odds with the Free Spirit. 

Isn’t that the exact opposite of everything this world says. ‘Be you.’ ‘Do what feels good.’ ‘Follow your heart.’ 

What we really want to be doing, if we are seeking Real, Perfect Freedom, is simply taking our eyes off of ourselves and placing them on Him, the One who defeated death and made it possible for us to Live.

Decide for your self which you would prefer.

The way of self: 

It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. Galatians‬ ‭5:19-21

Or God’s Way: 

But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified. Galatians‬ ‭5:22-23 (msg)

He is worthy of our time, our gaze, our focus, and our trust. He is the giver of all Good things, including Perfect Freedom, something that He died to give us. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He won’t settle for a worldly-mock-interpretation of freedom. He has come to give us the real thing, Himself. Praise Jesus!