To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. (George Washington, first president of the United States)
Washington seems to be saying that freedom is not to be held selfishly. We all want our space, the liberty to speak our mind, the right to act on our own. However, for a society to enjoy liberty there must be the cooperation of the community to guarantee equal rights of freedom to all its members. That’s what we in the U.S. celebrate on this Independence Day.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. . . . Do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. (2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:13).