Saturday, July 2, 2011

The Price of Independence


I can do it...myself!
This Monday the United States of America will celebrate Independence Day.  It commemorates the day that we declared independence from England, back in 1776.  I'm planning to teach Rory about American history through the Revolutionary War for school this year, so I've been reading up a bit.  It is amazing how much the colonists gave up to be independent.  They gave up the security of having the British armed forces behind them when they had trouble with the Native Americans.  They gave up all sorts of luxuries, like tea and paper, because they didn't want to pay the taxes to England.  Many gave up their lives, fighting with inferior weaponry, supplies, and even clothes.  Then, each state had to give up its own independence to be part of the new United States.

Americans are still fighting.  It seems that once we started, we were never able to stop.  Only now, we are fighting against our government, each other, and God.  The old "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" mentality doesn't go away easily, it seems.  Everyone wants their own way.  And we think our government should give it to us.  Of course, they should also take care of anyone who can't take care of themselves, because we just don't have time to worry about them, and those who need care want to do it without help.  We're independent.  We all want laws which protect our freedoms.  Freedom of speech, and freedom from being spoken against.  Freedom of life, and freedom of choice.  Freedom of religion, and freedom to make laws according to our own religious views.  Because, of course, we're independent.  We're free.

And we're still giving it up.  We're giving up the freedom that comes from being dependent on our creator.  We're giving up freedom from worry.  Freedom from sin.  Freedom from death.  Our quest to be independent has made us dependent on the one who doesn't care about us at all.  We've fallen into that same old trap from the Garden of Eden.  You can be like God, he says.  You can be independent.  But it's a lie.  No one is independent.  We can only choose where we place our allegiance.  I am a United States citizen, but my allegiance is to God.  God bless America.   

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