Inward Liberty — The First Priority of the New Man

Dax. The city where France began. Entry 87 — May 21, the first night in France — Kempis brought the anxious man story: do now what you would do then. Twenty-three days later, the pilgrims pass through Dax again, heading south to Portugal to pack. The same city. A different soul on the road.

And Kempis brings the same passage he brought two days ago in Brioux-sur-Boutonne. The same words. But Le hears them differently. In Brioux-sur-Boutonne she heard the warning: the more you protect self, the more captive you become. Today in Dax she hears the gift: inward liberty becomes the first priority. What a blessing to be free. Same passage. Different ear. The reading has not changed. The reader has.

The phrase the new man is Le's, not Kempis's. He said give all for all and be nothing of your own. She said: inward liberty is the first priority of the new man. Ephesians 4:24 — put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. And the new man's first priority is not achievement, not comfort, not even service. It is inward liberty. Everything else follows — because the soul that is free on the inside can do anything on the outside.

What a blessing to be free from cares as you live in this world. Not free from the world. Free from cares in the world. The feet on the ground. The hands in the work. The mind free. The privilege Kempis named: among many cares, as if without care. And Le, passing through Dax for the second time, knows the difference — because she has lived it for thirty-one days on the road.

In everything somewhat will be found lacking, and everywhere there will be somebody who opposeth you. Thirty-one days on the road have proved this true. Every stop had something lacking. Every place had its imperfection. And yet — Le is free from cares. Not because the imperfections disappeared. Because the priority shifted. Inward liberty first. Everything else second.

The full circle of Dax makes Kempis's point for him: if you will be here or there according to your own pleasure, you shall never be in quiet. Le and Roger have been here and there — Dax, Agen, Eymet, Cognac, the Vendée, Brittany, Normandy, Sword Beach, Beauvoir, Brioux-sur-Boutonne, and back to Dax. Many places. One peace. Because the peace was never in the place. It was in the standing by His good pleasure.

The pattern is now unmistakable. God moves ahead of the difficulty. He moved Le and Roger out of the US before the pandemic. He sold the apartment before it was listed. And now — difficulties came in Brioux-sur-Boutonne, and Le and Roger left talking not about the difficulty but about how God's hand was already there.

Not praising Him because the difficulty was removed. Praising Him because His hand was visible in the difficulty. Blessed in darkness, blessed in light. The secret of contentment lived on the road. The compass was peace. The decisions were right. And the praise came not after the resolution but in the midst of the journey.

Dax again. Full circle. The same road. The anxious man of entry 87 has become the free soul of entry 110. Thirty-one days of Kempis between the two visits. The reading has not changed. The reader has.