Freedom in Perspective: My Independence Day Post, One Month Late

This is my Independence Day post, drafted on July 3rd and posted yesterday. ::sarcastically grins::   Life has been crazy busy and I hadn't found time to check it over for typos and all that yucky stuff. ;)

 I've had a few moments to ponder what we're celebrating. I have so many threads of thought flowing through my head that it's difficult to put it in words that make sense. 

We are so blessed to live in a country where freedom is proclaimed. Liberty is huge here in America.

Many people declare proudly how "free" America is and others gloomily moan about our loss of true freedom, breaches in our constitution, etc. I confess that I am one of those people at times. But when you really think about it, it's all about perspective.

I know there is so much truth in the fact that we, as a country, are going downhill and that evil is being embraced by our highest levels of government. I also realize that WE THE PEOPLE have voted them into office, WE THE PEOPLE being the majority and larger cities. 

This tangent of thought reminded me of the quote, "With great power comes great responsibility." In this case, it could be changed to, "With great freedom comes great responsibility." Freedom is intrinsically connected to power. With freedom we have the power to chose, the power to vote our leaders in, and we have the power to act upon conscience and convictions. 

This freedom a blessing when Christ is the center. Proverbs 38:2, "When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue."

 On the other hand, freedom is a curse when Self is the center. Sadly, this is the case for most Americans.  With the freedom we have, we are losing liberty.  It seems as though the American Dream is all now about temporal pleasures and money; Our freedom has been misused and blatant sin is becoming more (outwardly) visible and even encouraged. But all of this is a result of our freedom, the freedom lacking Christ as the center. 

Instead of freedom in Christ, America has become openly enslaved to sin. On my way to work this morning, I was reminded of Rome and how all the wealthy and not-so-wealthy were living in pure debauchery. I won't go into details, but anyone who has read about ancient Rome knows what I'm talking about. The book of Romans also talks about it (along with freedom through Christ :D). 
So yes, there is cause for gloom about our so-called "freedom."

HOWEVER, one must remember that we as Christians currently also have freedom. We can worship Christ openly, we can share Him, and we can choose not to go the way of the world. We may be a minority, but we do still make an impact on our nation. There are godly leaders in our government, though they be few and far between.  The Constitution will not easily be revoked where it says that Freedom of Speech and Religion shall not be infringed. So many other people and nations gather to worship in secret, not knowing if they will make it home again, yet they do so gladly. Many are tortured and killed for not denying their faith. How much more should we, who may freely proclaim our Savior, appreciate this blessing? 

So I would say, this Independence Day, let's put our freedom in perspective and remember to be thankful. 

Taken by Clari this 4th of July. :D

With the great freedom we have, let's show America what Christian responsibility in action looks like.