Freely a Slave

I'm currently reading Soul Survivor by Phillip Yancey and these two quotes totally blindsided me. “Apparently it matters little to God whether we approach Him out of desperation or out of longing" This idea that God does not care why we come to Him only that we do is not one that is proclaimed very often and yet it is probably a phrase that is needed around the world. Most Christians know the story of the Prodigal Son and the lesson we most often get from it is that parents should love unconditionally and that of course applies to God as well, but the focus should also be on the fact that the reason the son decided to go home was purely selfish. It was not because he was sorry for what he did or that he missed his family, no he missed the way he lived with his family and was tired of the situation he got himself into. "…apparent freedom can actually mask deep bondage, a cry from the heart of unmet needs” What hold me captive? What is my freedom covering up? I think of the passage in 1 Corinthians 9 where Paul talks about being a slave to everyone and being held under the Law of Christ. It seems contradictory to say we are no longer slaves but free and are held under Christ but in reality it is a freely given bondage, a slavery that we go into voluntarily instead of one that is forced unto us. Yet how many of us feel we are forced to go to church? Forced to pray? Forced to read the bible? At what point do we stop “forcing” ourselves and go of our own accord? I’m not there yet, perhaps you aren’t either but we can be! Too often I see people walk down the street with a fake smile plastered on their face and when asked they will say that they are fine. How can this world be fine when we are living not according to God? This mask that we all wear because of our "apparent freedom" is not only hiding our true self from those around us but unfortunately from our own self.