Happy Fourth of July! Happy Independence Day! My entire adult life these two greetings have been inseparable. I cannot think of one without thinking of the other. Many memories flood my mind of the 4THs of the past.
As a child I marveled at the fireworks on display at different places. As I grew older I was allowed to use fireworks to celebrate. In the military I first learned that the ‘rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air’ had a meaning I seldom understood.
Our Constitution remarks that we have been endowed with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our Bible tells us God’s design that we are to have life more abundantly. These rights and designs are best enjoyed in a land that understands freedom.
So many have difficulty understanding that freedom comes at a price. Oftentimes, that price is the giving of one’s life for the freedoms of others. Through the past 242 years, many, many people have given their lives for the freedoms we enjoy! Our military, certainly, but also, law enforcement, firefighters, teachers, other public officials, ministers; sometimes, innocent bystanders, passengers, diners, students.
There are some who did not realize that they would give their life because someone else decided to do an evil deed and take it. Others know that they are daily putting their lives on the line to protect and defend their fellow citizens.
For all of these we are grateful! Each of them, in some way paved the way for the massive liberties we have in the United States of America!
Let us enjoy. Let us celebrate. Let us feast. Let us fellowship.
But more than that, let us remember!
Happy to Minister alongside you!
Brother Wayne
