“ Some chains are visible, others are forged in thoughts, regrets, and fears. But true freedom begins when both the body and the soul are unshackled. Faith has set me free, not just from what held me back, but from who I no longer have to be. “– Dr Steve Hudgins, LPCS, NCC.
As an Army veteran, I know what it means to wear the uniform, to salute the flag, and to carry the weight of responsibility that service demands. It was, and still is, one of the greatest honors of my life to serve this country. The freedoms we celebrate each July 4th are not abstract to me. I have seen what it costs to defend them, and I have stood beside those who paid the price.
However, as a man of faith, I also reflect on a deeper freedom, one that cannot be legislated or protected by borders. The greatest sacrifice ever made was by a man who did not wear a uniform but carried a cross. Jesus Christ laid down His life so that I, and anyone who believes, might walk in the truest form of freedom: freedom from sin, from guilt, from eternal separation. The Scriptures remind me that “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). That kind of liberty reaches far beyond national boundaries. It reaches into the soul.
Because of Christ, I walk with a clean conscience, not because I am perfect, but because I am forgiven. There is no freedom quite like being released from the inner war of shame and self-condemnation. That is a battlefield of its own, and Christ has already won that war on our behalf.
Today, I am also a doctor of mental health therapist. I sit with people every week who are battling the mental and emotional prisons that so often go unseen. Anxiety. Depression. Self-doubt. Intrusive thoughts. Wounds from words and stories they never chose. These are not physical shackles, but they are no less real. I know, from both my studies and personal journey, that freedom of thought is vital to healing. The way we think, the narratives we accept, the lies we absorb can hold us captive longer than any war.
Freedom, then, is not just about what country I live in. It’s about what lives within me.
It is about the ability to:
- Release thoughts that no longer serve healing
- Challenge the inner critic
- Accept grace where shame once lived
- Remember that freedom is not just the absence of restriction, but the presence of peace
On this Fourth of July, as I grill with friends, watch the sky fill with color, and hear the national anthem play, I celebrate more than a flag. I celebrate a God who redeems, a country that still fights for liberty, and a mindset that no longer imprisons me.
This Independence Day, I do not just thank God for my country’s freedom, I thank Him for my own.