While we celebrate Memorial Day, I am sure many do not understand what we are celebrating. Why is this?
As History becomes older, it tends to fade in the background. Our reference point for everything we do and the way we understand how life works, is where we are at today. Even though we are human beings, just like we were 200 years ago, we have different surroundings. We even have different meanings for words.
All throughout History, human beings have always wanted freedom. Freedom of religion. Freedom to develop the skills we want to grow in. Freedom to vote for the candidates we want to be in office. Freedom to go to the grocery store or market. Freedom to look for a job we will be good at. The list could go on and on.
Most of the time, throughout world History, governments were already in place. Rules were set. Even if they were unfair, they had to be obeyed, or there would be severe consequences.
People were tired of having to submit to authorities and governments where they could never develop well. God created people with dignity, and has a plan for each person to live out. But in ages past, there has never been the freedom to develop and grow, and build the kind of communities we need to live in. The types of governments would never allow that to happen.
But, there was a country that started with the intentions of all people who live here to be able to develop their God given abilities and to start their own businesses, to provide for their families, and to be able to be charitable to those in need in the communities.
There has always been threats to our freedom in America. Many people in other countries are jealous of Americans simply because Americans have worked hard to preserve their freedoms. And those freedoms have allowed the Americans to flourish. Other countries would like to destroy us and make us like them, having little or no freedom.
Those who started our country were God-fearing men and women. Yes, there were others who came into our country who were not God-fearing and have brought about many challenges that we have to deal with, even to this day. There were those who did not do their part in building this country, but, there were many, many who did. And many of these people went to war to keep our freedom alive.
The reason the word 'freedom' has little or no meaning today (especially to young people) is that we either did not learn the whole spectrum of History where people were under tyranny. People lived century after century under dictatorships and experienced little or not freedom at all. Even in those countries where there was some freedom, it was limited.
I am pretty sure that most schools cover very little, if any, information on the subjects of Communism, Socialism, or even Radical Islam. Young people are not familiar with what the living conditions were for those who lived in Communist countries. Many have never heard of the horrors of the Holocaust. So, for many, the word 'freedom' doesn't really have a whole lot of meaning.
And to others, especially in our day, freedom has become another word for being free to do whatever we want. It basically means 'lawlessness'. There are little consequences for lawbreakers today, and people want their freedom to do whatever they think will make them happy. But this kind of freedom is not the freedom that the war veterans fought and died for.
So, when we meet someone who came out of a Communist country, or if we get to hear someone on television or radio who went through the horrors of the Holocaust, we need to pay attention to what they say. They will tell you what life is like without having freedom. And if they have the choice, they will never go back to a land where freedom is not there.
We need to pray for our country to continue to have freedom. We need to pray for our churches, that God would guide our spiritual leaders into all truth, and that the hearts of those leaders will follow after the truth. We need to pray for people who live in America, to come to know the Lord Jesus Christ and respond to Him in repentance and faith (trust). People need to experience true freedom in Christ.
"A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days." Proverbs 28:16 ESV
No comments:
Post a Comment