We all know the pressure to conform - people or things vying for our attention. The problem is of course that things done wrong leave us entangled, caught up, potentially in lifelong patterns that we cannot break. We end up like a puppet on a string.
The good news is that Jesus can set us free. Free to say no, free to be who we are truly intended to be. This freedom is a wonderful thing, theoretically it gives us the right to do anything, but as Paul says not everything is helpful - either to ourselves or those around us.
There are some things we obviously will want to steer clear of. Yet there might well be 'grey areas', or things that are more subtle. A mobile phone is good to use ... but do we end up letting our technology control our lives? Maybe some things we have to intentionally abstain from because they are an issue for someone we are with. That 'helpful to others' aspect can be more important than we might think.
So our freedom comes with responsibility, a choice to avoid things unhelpful, to be discerning of things that might affect us, and to deliberately self-limit for the good of others. In crude terms this all means setting ourselves 'rules', either individually or maybe as a family or group to help ourselves live better together.
Such rules are not imposed from on high, but us limiting our own freedom to enable ourselves and others to thrive.
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