For many years the license plates of New Hampshire bore the slogan, made famous by Revolutionary War general John Stark – “Live Free or Die.” The irony is that those great words were printed onto the license plates by inmates in the state prison.
They could not leave their prison, but many of us stay in our prisons when we have the power to leave. We want to live free, but we do not want to do what the gospel says we need to do to be truly free.
Do YOU ever find YOURSELF in a prison that YOU find hard to leave?
THE MEANING OF YOUR LIFE IS TO FIND YOUR GIFT FROM GOD. THE PURPOSE OF YOUR LIFE IS TO GIVE YOUR GIFT AWAY!
My Commentary:
The slogan “Live Free or Die,” immortalized by General John Stark, powerfully declares that freedom is essential to life itself. Yet the paradox of those words being stamped onto license plates by prisoners reveals a deeper truth: many of us, though outwardly free, remain inwardly imprisoned.
Unlike those incarcerated by law, our prisons are often self-constructed — built from fear, resentment, addiction, unforgiveness, materialism, or pride. Jesus came to break open the doors of these spiritual cells. He invites us to be truly free — but on His terms: through truth, humility, service, and love.
The Gospel teaches that real freedom is not the ability to do whatever we want, but the grace to live as we were created to be — children of God, stewards of His gifts. The phrase “The meaning of your life is to find your gift from God. The purpose of your life is to give your gift away” speaks to this truth.
We are not here merely to survive or succeed. We are here to discover how we are uniquely blessed — and to bless others with it. Our gifts are not meant to be hidden in fear or hoarded in selfishness, but to be used in love, freely given, as Christ freely gave Himself for us.
My Prayer Reflection:
Lord God of liberty and grace,
You have given us the gift of life and the promise of freedom through Your Son. Yet how often we remain shackled — to comfort, to fear, to sin. Open our eyes to see the prison bars we’ve placed around our hearts. Give us the courage to walk out in faith, trusting that Your way is the way of true freedom.
Help us, Lord, to recognize the gifts You have placed within us. Teach us not only to find them but to offer them generously to the world — not for our glory, but for Yours. May we live not in fear of dying, but in the joy of giving. May we stop just existing, and start living — freely, faithfully, and fully — in Your truth. Amen.
