Freedom

"Love your country.  Your country is the land where your parents sleep, where is spoken that language in which the chosen of your heart, blushing, whispered the first word of love; it is the home that God has given you that by striving to perfect yourselves therein you may prepare to ascend to him."  ~Giuseppe Mazzini


Today is set aside in our country to remember those blessed events that occurred 235 years ago in a small room in Philadelphia.  Men of great bravery and conviction stepped forward to document the beginning steps in freeing our country.

But what does it mean to be free?  Merriam-Webster.com provides several options from which to choose.
1.  the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action.
2.  liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another
3.  the quality of being frank, open, or outspoken
4.  unrestricted use


So as these 56 committed treason against their former country, they pledged to bring freedom to the inhabitants of this new land.  They desired freedom to worship; freedom to live.  They provided us the ability to loose our constraints when making choices that affect our own lives; they lifted the veil of ownership that the British government had placed over its citizens; they enabled us unrestricted use of what we've been given and the privilege to be outspoken about it!  


One of the utmost reasons these people longed and fought for freedom was to escape the religious oppression they were facing.  However, I think we as Americans don't truly remember that.  We know it; we say we're grateful for it.  We fight for "in God we trust" to remain in our pledge and on our money, but do we fight for God to truly be prominent in this country?  Those brave men allowed us freedom from governmental rule (to an extent), but they allowed us to experience something in this great country that is even greater--freedom in Christ.  We have been given the privilege of being frank and outspoken; our constraints are lifted; and the slavery of this world, sin, and death are no longer ours!  


So as you enjoy your Independence Day holiday, enjoy your family and friends.  Remember and thank our veterans and current military soldiers and their families.  Celebrate this great country in which we live.  But also remember that every day is a celebration of Independence for those saved by the blood of Christ!  Fight for and understand that freedom as much as you do the one provided by this country.  As the opening quote states, this is the home God gave us--and it is simply a means to prepare the way for ourselves and others to go home to Him.  


"I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives.  I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him."  ~Abraham Lincoln