Fourth of July is my favorite holiday; well honestly it’s in a two way tie with Christmas. I feel both holidays represent events that are essential to my freedom. Fourth of July for many, too many, has lost its meaning, its historical value, if you will. The struggle of independence from a tyrannical king to obtain religious freedoms is more of a fairy tale we read in a book, not a reality. Fourth of July is about fireworks, cookouts, reunions and canned beverages, right? Wrong, but many believe it is?
I recently read a statistic that 1 in 4 people don’t know from which country we declared our independence. Really? How is this possible? How can someone live, grow up in the United States of America and not know where we came from, how we came to be, and why these brave people endured sickness, separation from or the death of loved ones, and often the loss of their own lives? Why doesn’t everyone in America know these facts? Because we’ve lost sight of our freedom, our liberty; we’ve taken it for granted. We’ve squandered our gifts; we’ve blindly left the responsibility of our lives in the hands of seemingly caring individuals. Individuals who call themselves politicians and ask us to vote for them, then we do, we have, and we will…. That is unless we heed the words of those that have gone before us, now! We’ve been warned countless times of what was to come. (Not ‘IS’ to come, because my friend those times are here)
“But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.”
John Adams in a letter to Abigail Adams, July 17, 1775
John Adams in a letter to Abigail Adams, July 17, 1775
First, we need to tell our kids about John Carver and William Bradford. Tell them how and why they left England to escape religious persecution went to Holland because Holland had religious freedom but left because they didn’t want their children influenced by Dutch customs/language; they then headed to the New World (known to us today as America the beautiful). Many left behind family but they made the sacrifice for future generations, and the hopes of a better life, a free life.
Second, tell them about the Revolutionary war(this too is a very important and disturbing statistic I read recently, it states, “Many Americans believe the war that freed us from ‘that country they can’t name’ is referred to as the civil war.”) Tell them about the 13 colonies, about the second continental congress, and their July 2nd 1776 vote to approve the resolution of independence. Tell them about our Founding Fathers; and not the watered down version they get in a 5 minute lesson during history class, but the true version that allows for the religion and true reasons we are who we are, why we have the Declaration of Independence, Constitution/Bill of Rights/Amendments, the origin of Separation of Church and State. Then and only then should they set off fireworks, throw down a few dogs and celebrate the Fourth of July.
“Freedom isn’t free; someone has always had to pay the price.”
Freedom, liberty, and the possible loss of these unalienable rights are not to be taken lightly. Although our rights come from God, not from man, don’t think man won’t attempt to rob you of these rights in order to control you and all you have; don’t think they aren’t already trying as we sleep and feast, and play. A word from the great communicator, a hero of mine, resonates in my mind;
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was like in the United States where men were free.” ~Ronald Reagan~
This is the time to wake up and listen to the warnings of those who have gone before us, those who laid the foundation, stared death and persecution in the eye and said I will be free.
“Give me Liberty or give me death.” ~Patrick Henry~
We have the gift of freedom, afforded to us by the many heroes who have fought and died over the years; we have freedom unlike any other country has ever known. But we allow our sacred constitution to be abused, misinterpreted and denied by the very people we vote for. We are not the few, we are the many and we need to make our voices heard. We have the right to say God bless you anywhere we choose, and to never have one court ruling be influenced by sharia law. Babies, every baby has the right to be born, to have life, to have dignity; why doesn’t everyone know this; why doesn’t everyone practice this?
“Freedom has cost too much blood and agony to be relinquished at the cheap price of rhetoric.” ~Thomas Sowell~
Stand up, take a part in making a difference, in fighting for our country, in raising the next generation to fight for truth and freedom; to know why we light fireworks and send rockets soaring through the night sky before exploding into many brilliant colors. Then show them how we thank God for not only an amazing country but for the freedom to celebrate our freedom; because this after all is what July 4th is really about.
“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA, THANK OUR VETERANS, AND PRAY FOR OUR SOLDIERS
