Fireworks. Picnics. Pool parties. Time at the lake. All of these seem to be staples of our American celebration of freedom. There will be hot dogs and hamburgers grilled. Plenty of watermelons will be enjoyed. And I’m sure a plethora of pyrotechnics will be observed. Each one a way of commemorating the emancipation this nation experienced hundreds of years ago. And freedom is something worth celebrating.
Yet freedom is something we can often take for granted. There are so many liberties we have in America that are often overlooked. Freedoms that have yet to be experienced by many others around the world. Freedoms people for centuries never participated in. We truly live in a blessed time and era. Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of issues to be addressed, but historically speaking we are more free now than most of recorded history. And that is a good thing, but if we are not careful apathy can creep in.
“And we are just so happy, and almost in a state of unbelief, that we can do this now – publicly, together – that we don’t want it to end. And not knowing what the future might hold for us here, we know that every week might just be our last. So we never want to stop.”
Anonymous
Apathy is the very thing we must fight against internally as we celebrate freedom externally. There are many around the world who don’t get to enjoy the freedoms we will celebrate this coming week. James Emery White reflects on a freedom others enjoyed that he had begun to take for granted in his article, “Let Freedom Ring“. The story is one that convicts and compels.
I hope you enjoy a good hot dog or hamburger this next week. I pray you have a great time with people you love being around. But even more so as you celebrate the freedoms we enjoy as Americans, I challenge you to reflect and ask yourself – how have I become apathetic and taken some of these freedoms for granted?.
As always be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day!
Until Next Time,
Photo by Roven Images on Unsplash
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