HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Cookouts, patriotic music, fireworks, and spending time with family will be the norm for the day. America will stand together celebrating the birth of this wonderful country we call home. Liberals, moderates, and conservatives will all be focused on the birth of our nation. On this date in 1776, a number of our leading citizens signed what is known as the Declaration of Independence, stating our determination to become a free country.

I am sure that those leading citizens had differing opinions. I am sure they all did not agree on all of the topics of the day. But, they came together for the good our new born country.

Our independence did not come easily; only after several difficult years of war would it finally be won. Nor were our first years as a nation free from problems and controversies (as is still true today). But our forefathers were determined to establish a free and democratic system of government, and the Declaration of Independence (together with our Constitution and the Bill of Rights) became the foundation of our lives together. They have stood the test of time, and on July 4th we give thanks for the wisdom and faith and courage of those early leading citizens.

Although it is not a religious holiday like Christmas or Easter, for many Americans July 4th is a time to reflect on God’s goodness to us as a nation. Molded into the Liberty Bell itself are the words of Leviticus 25:10: Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.

To have “one nation under God” we must have “individuals under God.” We cannot force anyone to submit their lives to God–We are called to continue to proclaim the good news, in freedom, to all would hear.

This is my story…