In my previous life as an aviatrix and aviation specialist, enthusiast there are certain freedoms to be enjoyed in aviation. As long as you abide by the rules and regulations, you are free to move and operate within those freedoms. There are rules for everything. You can say there is a manual, a checklist for every single subject that exists in those operations and procedures. There are certain functions, powers, and duties given under the law to certain figures of authority within the aviation system such as the Minister, Director of Civil Aviation, the First Secretary of Transport, or the CEO of the Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure. 

I enjoyed learning about everything, specifically operations, and safety audits were some of my favourite attachments. This love of learning took me around the world, studying and living in different countries.

Freedoms of the air are negotiated between states. Each state has sovereignty over its own air space meaning Samoa doesn’t tell Tonga what to do and vice versa. Even our more developed neighbours such as Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia have no sovereignty over Samoa’s air space. Understanding the freedoms of the air, allows us to understand that flying from one country to another is not as easy as it sounds. There are negotiations and conditions to meet before airlines fly from A to B. Airlines are operational players whereas governments are the regulatory bodies through Civil Aviation Authorities. It’s all so complicated and yet at the same time if you understand the rules, they are very clear-cut.

The same rules so to speak can be applied in our everyday lives. We live in a society with authorities and rules. Rules that we must adhere to and follow. Whether we are at school, workplace, family, church, or any public gathering, there are unwritten rules of how we must act and behave. If we overstep the line, break the rules, or break the law then we will be punished, corrected, prosecuted, convicted, fined, or thrown in jail depending on the severity of your disobedience and the people that were impacted. There are unwritten rules in the society that we live in that must be obeyed. Aren’t you glad we don’t live in a lawless world like the old times? Everything has its place and time.

The freedoms that we enjoy, having the right to live in an abuse-free environment, the right to religion, speech, and all other rights that are supposed to support us and enable us to live abundantly. More importantly, the freedoms we enjoy in Christ. We are all sinners and were born with faults. With Christ and salvation, we are free from bondage, penalty, and guilt of sin. We get to increase our capacity through him and his love, to have joy and experience peaceful living. We have the freedom to choose life or death and we are advised to choose life. We are also free to choose good or evil like Adam and Eve since the beginning of time. How we choose to live is up to us.

We may choose life and liberty in Christ to eternal life by following Christ. Otherwise, we are also free to choose captivity, bondage, and death by following Satan.

Freedom in Christ is not the right to do whatever we want, it is the ability to do what we ought to. Without Christ, we are living like the old times, lawless and slaves to sin unable to do what is right. We all know what is right and wrong, at least I think we do. We’ve been taught from an early age to choose the right thing, be kind, keep to the rules, and love and forgive others. 

While we enjoy another peaceful Sunday in Samoa, remember that everything starts and ends with us. The freedom we have in Christ is to live in faith and hope, trusting that God has our best interest at heart. Whatever hardships we may be going through is helping us to grow and when we come to the end of our lives, we’ll look back and say that we chose the right freedoms. Manuia le Sapati!