Freiheit, Treue

When I was in Sunday school many years ago we had to create these emblematic shields with a cross and some phrase or other.

I wrote two words I happened to think were cool, translations supplied by my mum: Freiheit, Adelheit. (I later learned Adelheit is not a word. It should be Treue.) Either way, it's German for "Freedom, loyalty."

Today I was reminded of it, and reflected on it for the first time in years: "Why did I think freedom and loyalty were the core of Christianity? And can those two even coexist? If you're free, you're free of duty, of rules, of everything that would demand your loyalty. They're practically opposites...?"

But then, maybe it's not what it seems. Maybe in Christianity, the two really are compatible? Maybe there's something "free" about loyalty. Or something of fidelity in freedom. Maybe freedom is a given as a reward for loyalty. Maybe you naturally feel loyalty to someone who gives you freedom. Maybe God gives you the feeling of loyalty but also paradoxically freedom from it. Maybe the God who demands loyalty demands only one duty, that one be free... No; it quickly gets confusing... Maybe we are truly free, but loyalty only means anything,

maybe God gave us true freedom, but loyalty only means anything when it's chosen freely.
Maybe that's the purpose in loyalty. The difference between loyalty and obedience, humanity and machinity.

Loyalty is only meaningful if chosen, loyalty needs freedom to be real.

Little Luke, you may have chosen random stuff, but I don't mind. It may not be core Christian philosophy, but it's part of it: our Trueue means something to God because of our Freiheit.