Chasing Freedom: Is it All You Hoped For?
You made it to Reading Festival—how are you feeling? Delight or dread? Loved-up or lonely?
Hopefully more of the first! But feelings aren’t straightforward; they’re often a mixture. This weekend, you might hear your emotions echoed in the lyrics of your favourite artists—or find them powerfully reflected somewhere unexpected.
Take Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan—a guaranteed highlight of her Friday night set. The Midwest Princess sings about escaping a dull, restrictive life in Tennessee to become a dancer in a club. Chappell, who grew up in Missouri, says she wasn’t brave enough to pursue that dream herself, so wrote a song about it instead. Her new life might hurt family who call her dreams “wicked”—but she insists, “Oh mama, I’m just having fun.”
The song celebrates self-expression. But the music video adds something deeper. At first, Chappell looks nervous, unsure, under the male gaze. As the song builds, she and her friends dance joyfully. Then, the music stops. Chappell stands silent—her face flickers with doubt. Was it all she hoped for?
Why end on that uncertain note? Because chasing freedom that doesn’t satisfy isn’t a new story—it’s 2,000 years old.
Jesus, a real man in history, told a story about a father and two sons. One son, like the person in Chappell’s song, feels trapped and wants out. He asks for his inheritance—essentially saying, “I wish you were dead.” The father, still loving, gives it. The son moves far away and “wastes all his money in wild living”. Broke and desperate, he gets a job feeding pigs. At rock bottom, he remembers life was better at home and decides to return, hoping to be hired as a servant.
But while he’s still far off, his father sees him—and runs. In that culture, respectable men didn’t run—it was shameful. But this father doesn’t care. He embraces his son and welcomes him—not as a servant, but a beloved child. That story points to a bigger one.
The father represents God—our Creator, who knows, loves, and gives us life. And the son? Us. Chappell has said, “I just wanted to feel like a good person, but I had this part of me that wanted to escape so bad.” We often run from God, chasing freedom, but end up wondering what we’ve lost.
Have you ever felt like Chappell at the end of that video, or like the son in Jesus’ story—lost and alone?
Jesus encourages you to do what the son did: recognise what’s happened, and come home.
And the beauty? You’ll find God running toward you. A father wouldn’t normally hitch up his robes to run—but this one does. And Jesus didn’t shy away from shame either. Two thousand years ago, the Son of God left heaven and ran to earth. He was tortured and killed, naked and mocked—why? To make a way for his children to return home. And because he rose three days later—in real history—you can be sure that if you come to him, he’s running to welcome you.
Jesus said he came to bring “life in all its fulness.” Not only one day in heaven, but also now—a life with the God who loves you. Not because you earned it, but because he chooses to.
You can read Jesus’ story of the runaway son and running-towards father. You can also find a church near you, where you can see what it’s like to live in God’s family.