It is very difficult to write this blog in light of the political upheaval we are facing as a nation. It is about 4:30 in the morning, Sunday July 4th 2021. There is a faint blue band of light out on the eastern horizon, and I can hear the sparrows in the neighbors tree begin to stir. They have no clue as to the significance of this day for me, and millions like me.
It is refreshing for the fourth of July to be on a Sunday! This nation was was founded on Christian principles, and that it still endures is a testament to the foresight of the founders, as well as the plan of God. It's easy to look at the current state of affairs and assume that this is the worst it has ever been. I believe today's political climate is bad! The social upheaval we're facing is terrifying to those of us who believe in liberty, and this great republic. As a nation we've been through this many times before. The path of liberty is always and ever toward progressive societies. Fear, and liberty are the two monstrous forces always at work in any republic, and it is foolish to ignore either of them. It takes great bravery to resist the desire to surrender your liberties for the illusion of safety.
At the end of the Star Spangled Banner there is a very stirring line that has become a descriptor of the people who live in this great nation. If you go to a sporting event where they still play it, or if you are in a school where they sing it, the final line always seems to be sung louder and with more conviction than the entire song.
"O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave."
No other nation on earth has enjoyed the liberty this nation has experienced for over two hundred years. Freedom is not an easy choice! It takes a brave people to live free. The history of mankind isn't about freedom. The history of mankind is replete with fatalism. Societies, and governments were often built upon the idea that there were people born to lead, and govern those who were born to live in subjugation to those leaders. When a human being gets a taste of power, they want more, and the only way to get more is to take it from others. People have experienced moments of freedom throughout the history of the earth, but it is quickly given up because of fear. Throughout my lifetime I've seen the growing threat of Marxism around our globe as nation after nation tries to implement the idea of big government being the solution. It takes brave hearts to stand against it. There is a desire within all people for someone to take care of them. It takes bravery to resist its allure. Liberty implies that you alone are responsible for you. That concept requires immense bravery. Liberty is born of a belief in God, and His concern for your well being. Christians use the word faith to describe their belief in God, but I like to think that faith and bravery are the same thing. God doesn't offer any of us a guarantee except the promise that we are free. We are free to choose Him and live by His tenants, or we are free to live in unbelief. No matter what choice you make, He allows you to choose your own path, do what you want to do, and be what you want to be. It is people who subjugate one another, and it is people who suppress each other.
I am okay with my fate being in my hands. I'm a self-employed handyman who picks up small jobs, and I'm happy with what comes my way. No other person is responsible for my life. I can live in wealth, or I can live in comfort. I can choose when to work, and when not to work. The idea of being 'employed' by someone else is abhorrent to me. At the same time I don't want to be responsible for anyone else. I don't want to dictate to anyone else how they should live their life. Whether my days end in ease or pain, I want the liberty to live my life with my own convictions. Socialism is not liberty.
Outside my glass storm door, the sparrows are beginning to pick through the grass in my front yard in search of food. They live in total freedom, and I envy them.
My hope for this great nation as the sun begins to break on the horizon is that we are brave enough to live free. Let the fireworks begin!
