America is the land of the free and the home of the brave. We are a people enjoying privileges others only dream about. To commemorate our country’s freedom, we light up the sky with fireworks, host barbeques, attend festive parades and wave little flags symbolizing our patriotism. We honor those who bravely sacrificed for the values and freedom those stripes and stars represent.

But freedom has been redefined for my cousin.

He and I have recently reconnected over a series of unfortunate events. He’d been living life on a razor-thin edge, conducting himself in destructive ways. He drank excessively, used drugs and associated with shady characters.

When a tragic loss sent him reeling with unimaginable pain, his substance abuse worsened as he sought to numb the grief and drown out his sorrows. Rather than turning to the Lord, he turned instead to a life of crime, deception and insane risk.

He assumed that his freedom was secure. That he could continue to defy the odds, staying one step ahead of the authorities. That his choices would never result in real and dire consequences.

Inevitably, his sins found him out and he got busted.

He was blessed to spend a few months at Teen Challenge, a faith-based recovery program, before his sentencing. It was at this sanctuary that he realized his desperate need for God and surrendered his life to the Author of Hope. He began a journey toward sobriety and a walk with Christ that led to an epiphany. Now he sees the road to destruction he was traveling on and how it headed to nothing but heartache.

Sadly, because of his prior criminal history and the seriousness of the crime, the judge had no choice but to demand jail time. I was present at the hearing; all of us were devastated as the sentence was delivered. We’d been praying for probation, community service, and the opportunity to finish out his term at Teen Challenge.

Since that fateful day, I've stayed connected to him as a mentor. I visit and write, hoping that my friendship will serve as a buoy to his spirit and a lifeline when he feels like he'll drown in a sea of institutional monotony.

It's ironic that it took an arrest and an incarceration to truly set him free. It sounds absurd; how can a prisoner be free? How is freedom even possible with the constant presence of guards, strict rules and regulations, lack of privacy, choice and autonomy?

The answer lies in the fact that freedom has less to do with your surroundings and more to do with the state of your soul and mind.

The Bible states in Isaiah 61:1 that God binds up the brokenhearted, proclaims freedom for the captives and releases prisoners from darkness. That refrain is echoed in Luke 4:18 where it says that the Lord has come to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and to release the oppressed. John 8:36 states that if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

My cousin knows freedom – even in his current location – because he has found it in Christ! Prior to his conversion, he was imprisoned behind invisible bars. This “cell” held him captive to his impulses, sinful desires, and addictions. Now, he is clean and sober, working toward his G.E.D and making amends with his family. And he’s trying to live for the Lord, learning and growing in Christ daily.  

You see, you don't need to break the law, be hand-cuffed and led away in a patrol car to experience a loss of freedom. Sometimes figurative prisons are more confining than literal ones, such as the imprisonment that comes from depression, anxiety, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts, addictions, pornography, guilt and anger (to name just a few!)

But, remember, Christ died to set us free! On the cross He paid the ultimate price – the bail, so to speak – that released us from sin and hell. In Him, we are able to live as He intended: joyful, victorious and fully free.

Are you technically a free individual but living as though you are enslaved to a force that is more powerful than your best efforts and intentions?

Heather Brostrom has been a Christian since she was a teenager. She has suffered with depression for all of her adult life and wonders if some day she will have a unique opportunity to share her story of hope and perseverance. She heartily believes that Jesus has been good to her, showing her that life can still be blessed even through adversity and trials. Read more posts by Heather.