The Cost Of Freedom
As we celebrate today another 4thof July in the greatest country on Earth, I reminded that our freedom came at an extremely high cost. Not only did it come at great cost to get, but an even greater cost to maintain. I remember in basic training at Fort Knox a cadence we used to sing while we were marching along. “Some say freedom is free, but I tend to disagree, I say freedom is won, by the barrel of a gun.” There are things I will never forget during my time in Iraq. The things I saw, and the horrors that fill my dreams remind me the true cost of Earthly freedoms. I can remember dead bodies, mangled and sometimes, in pieces. I was witness to vehicle born suicide bombers, IED attacks, brutal scenes that Hollywood hasn’t come close to duplicating. I watched as women in Iraq were able to vote for the first time. The blackened fingers as they were finger printed for the new record system in the country. A proud exclamation that even though there was opposition and threats to attack the voting polls, they were not afraid. I saw what it was taking to allow free democracy to take hold. Love or hate the war, the freedoms we gave to the oppressed is priceless. In our own history we fought for our freedom from King George. In the revolutionary war we lost 25,000 soldiers with another 25,000 wounded. The cost of freedom has been pain in blood for this country and many more over the years. Once we obtained our freedom from Great Britton at the time, achieving freedom has been one thing, keeping it has been entirely different. In the wars since to maintain our freedoms or interest good or bad politics withstanding we have lost more then 1,354,664 men and women. More then a million people have served this country and has paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. No one can truly sit and think about the sacrifice made to keep our freedoms. It’s not just the million plus lives, but all the friends, and family that have suffered from those losses. How many spouses lost the love of their life? How many fathers, or mothers never came home? Freedom you see comes at a cost, and the cost is always blood. For the vast majority of our wars, military service was voluntary and thus knowing war is a possibility at any moment, sacrifice is always apart of the job. John 15:13“13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Blood is the life force that flows through every creature on this planet. It takes oxygen to every point within our bodies, and it sustains our life. It’s no surprise that in order to give us true freedom it took blood to be sacrificed. Jesus Christ considered us children of God, but also friends. He was willing to lay down his life to save all of humanity. Jesus at any time had the power to bring himself off the cross. He at any time could have turned the water around the palace to wine. He could have summoned a storm to prove he was the Son of God. He could have turned the entire Roman Empire to a pile of ashes with the snap of his finger. Jesus had to choose to stay on the cross every moment during his crucifixion. He had to choose to endure the pain, the suffering, and the ridicule. He had to choose to allow himself to depart from God so thus he would take the full wrath, the full anger, and the full pain from his father. The Son of God endured the full might of sorrow upon himself as his blood spilt from him down the cross to cover the whole of the Earth in a cleanse that saved us from the eternal damnation that awaited us. He laid down his life for all of us, and thus paying the ransom so we might not die.
Freedom’s cost is always high, but so long as good people are willing to fight the good fight, and stay the course, we should remember the fight and those who fought it. Today we fight one another in this country. We fight over politics, health care, sexual preferences, foreign policies, and even if statues should remain standing or not. Statues might I add that were American Citizens and despite differences still fought for this country. (I’m not even southern and I respect the soldiers.) We fight each other instead of sharing the Gospel and spreading the message and love of Jesus Christ. We should be ashamed at how we conduct ourselves. There’s a right and a wrong way to voice differences, and we have fallen steeply down the wrong rabbit hole. We fight one another over trivial things, and we stand our ground and are willing to die on that hill, but truly, what are we fighting over? This nation has lost heroes and we’re worried about what some statues represent that have been erected for over 30 plus years. We’re so worried about it that we talk about moving entire cemeteries because it’s offensive. Have we truly become so sensitive, so hateful that in every day life and news, people protesting sound exactly like the radical faction the Westboro Baptist Church. The truth is we dishonor those who’ve fallen in this countries pursuit of freedom, and we dishonor the sacrifice of Christ, which gave us the greatest freedom we could ever hope for, the freedom from eternal Hell.
Lee Greenwood, God Bless the USA
If tomorrow all the things were gone
I worked for all my life
And I had to start again
With just my children and my wife
I thank my lucky stars
To be living here today
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom
And they can’t take that away
And I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free
And I won’t forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I’d gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.
So as we go out today and we remember our great nations birthday, let us remember the freedom we still have and the cost. This nation was founded by those who believed in Heaven and God, and the words in the Bible. We see this in the early letters and documents written by the founding fathers, in the Mayflowr Compact, and on every piece of cash or change in the United States. We are a nation built upon the Christian faith and thus it’s time we return to it. Christian’s stance is about love. If we don’t love the sinner we are not loving God. If we aren’t walking the walk of Christ, we aren’t loving God. We must learn to come together and find a way to solve our differences without hate in our hearts. We must learn to come together without using violence to get our point across. Put a little love in your heart, and God bless this nation. Happy Birthday America.
http://www.travelrewardsus.com
It’s a wonderful thing to be able to share the blessings and teachings of Christ with all of you. For those who read my works in Christ, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Recently I came across an amazing home business based in Travel and Entertainment that’s the real deal. The savings found through this business are amazing. If you shop online, like to go to movies, or travel, this gift card for you can save you up to 50%. Please enjoy your gift as a symbol of my appreciation and gratitude. God Bless.
The Arrow Preacher 