Freedom and Boogie Boarding

At the beach, freedom feels like riding waves with the sun on your back and saltwater in your face. You paddle out on your boogie board, wait for the right wave and then ride it until the wave runs out.  It’s complete freedom—just you, the board and the wave. What could be simpler or more natural? 

But here’s the twist: boogie boards come with leashes and fins come with tethers. They’re not there to restrict you—they’re there to keep you in the game. That’s how God’s freedom works. Tethers aren’t chains, they’re lifelines.   

Sin might look like freedom but you’re captive to your flaws. You start by doing whatever you want: no rules, no limits. But over time, your flaws drag you down, ensnare your heart and steal your purpose. Jesus offers something radically better: the freedom to choose right. Freedom isn’t the ability to do whatever; it’s a tether freeing us to choose what matters, what lasts. 

To the Galatians, Paul wrote, “For freedom Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). Jesus doesn’t just save us from sin. He frees us for the future He planned.  

Freedom isn’t about cutting every tether and chasing every wave. It’s about choosing the ride that leads somewhere and choosing what matters. A boogie board without a leash is just a ride waiting to capsize.  But with the right tether, you stay connected.  God’s Spirit works the same way: not holding us back, but grounding us in truth, love and purpose.  

Real freedom isn’t found in doing whatever we want. It’s found in doing what lasts. And that kind of freedom only comes when we’re connected to the One who made us for more than surfing.