The bombs bursting in air…
I can’t imagine what it must be like to live in a country where bombs fall almost daily. I can hardly bear to watch it on television. Innocent men, women, and children—they’re living in fear every single day of their lives. Do they even know what freedom is?
Yet in America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, freedom and life without such fear are taken for granted continually.
When I think of the men and women who fought so bravely to provide this unhindered freedom, my heart tears. My father was fighting at the age of seventeen to defend this country in World War II. Nearly killed twice, he was bandaged up and sent straight back to the front. Still, he fought with pride and valor, coming home filled with deep scars, both physical and mental, that he would carry with him until his death years later.
In Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, he talked about the difference between the old covenant and the new. The Old Covenant, etched in stone, was connected to death and condemnation. Man’s sin proved his inability to fulfill the law perfectly. But when Christ came, the New Covenant offered life—eternal life—and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. He concluded that where the Spirit is—that of God the Father, Christ, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—there is freedom in Him who created us, who died for us, and who lives within us this very day.
Freedom was not bought with peace. The shedding of blood bought it, and Christ willingly took the strikes of evil. He bore the stripes of sin that we might have freedom and forgiveness.
I can’t imagine living in fear every day as the bombs blast around me, and I am more than grateful for the men and women who bought my freedom with their blood. Yet when I gaze upon the cross, I see a deeper love than humanity can fathom. The love of a God who cared so much for His children that He allowed the sacrifice of His own Son.
On this Independence Day, celebrate the freedom you have, and then celebrate the love of the Father who gave so much for you.
Cindy K. Sproles is a best-selling, award-winning author. She is a speaker and a conference teacher who teaches nationwide. Cindy is the cofounder of Christian Devotions Ministries, www.christiandevotions.us, and www.inspireafire.com. She serves as a writing mentor with WRAMS (Writing Write Author Mentoring Service) and is the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com.