As a teenager growing up in Colorado, I was eager for my freedom. There was nothing wrong in my household. I was blessed with loving and attentive parents who always supported me. But as I grew older, I found myself desperately wanting to be an adult — to make my own decisions and govern my own future. Sometimes, on the weekends, when this freedom itch grew too strong, I would get in my car and start driving north on I-25, heading toward Wyoming. I would pretend that this was it — that I was on my own and could do as I wished. I would drive along, lost in the thoughts of the seemingly infinite choices ahead of me. Where would I choose to go? What would I choose to do? Eventually, though, I would have to return to reality, turn the car around, and head back home.

When I eventually graduated high school and headed to college, I, like most of us, found that the freedom to choose for myself didn’t free me from responsibility; it increased it. Each and every day was met with new choices and the responsibility to make the right choice.

As a country, we recently celebrated our independence. In much the same way, when our forefathers gained freedom from England, they weren’t simply free from English governance and authority, free to do as they wished. No, they had gained the immense responsibility of running their own country and of making choices to better the lives of this new country’s citizens.

Our faith journey is no different. When we cross the line of faith, God, in a wondrous act of grace, frees us from the bondage of sin. However, this gift of freedom is not an end in itself. God didn’t free us from sin so that we could relax and wait to be with Him when life on this Earth has ended. God released us from the bondage of sin so that we might have the freedom to choose to do His will on Earth here and now. As Romans 6:22 says, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life” (ESV). The freedom we gain comes with fresh responsibilities and allegiance to God Himself. Each day, we must choose whom we serve (Joshua 24:15). Each day, we must choose to do God’s will.

What choices will you make today? How will you live into the responsibility of being one of God’s chosen? Start by choosing to open your heart to God today. The responsibility we hold is not one we must face alone. The sanctification work Paul refers to in Romans 6:22 is the work of God alone. All we must do is open our hearts and allow God the space to work within them. When our hearts are open to God, we can rest assured in the words of Paul: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 ESV).

• Andrew Flockhart is a cadet with the Salvation Army, currently training in Juneau.