Freedom!

The Mel Gibson movie, Braveheart, is the fictionalized account of William Wallace's fight for Scottish freedom from England, around the turn of the 14th century.

Scotland considered Wallace a brave knight and an inspiring example of patriotism and selfless service. England, on the other hand, branded him as a murdering outlaw and a traitor.

The climactic scene of the film finds Wallace, as portrayed by Gibson, captured by the British and facing death. He is tied down to a table, arms outstretched as if on a cross, while undergoing unspeakable torture at the hands of an expert.

The man in charge offers a less-painful and quicker death, encouraging Wallace to ask for mercy, which in Wallace's mind would be the same as declaring that he deserved to be punished. Even the people in the crowd were begging Wallace to ask for mercy...just to say the word, "mercy,"...in hopes of ending his horrific pain.

William Wallace gathers the last bit of breath he can possibly muster and screams out in a voice full of conviction. He screams out the one word that had motivated him through years of battles: "Freedom!"

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Jesus was spread out and tortured as well. And while His sacrifice did indeed make mercy toward us possible, it also, and perhaps more importantly, provided for our freedom from the tyrannical rule of sin over our hearts.

Truth is...we are not only forgiven. We are free.