Friday, July 3, 2015

The Extraordinary Gift of Freedom - Happy Independence Day!

When I think about this country in which I have been blessed to be born and for which I have great love and appreciation, my mind frequently turns to the concept of freedom. Freedom is an extraordinary gift.

Because I have spent my whole life in the United States and have experienced the comfort of what would be thought of, here, as a middle class lifestyle I realize that I too often take freedom for granted. I forget that the basic freedoms I consider to be normal are actually not the norm for many people in our world and have not been the norm for most of the people throughout history who have lived on planet Earth.

The freedoms I—and many of you who will read this post—have assumed to be normal are actually rare, unique and quite special.

So first of all, I thank God for freedom because all good things come from Him. (See, James 1:17)

But I also recognize that God frequently works through people. Therefore, I am extremely thankful for courageous men and women who have fought and sacrificed to establish this freedom long before I was born and for those who continue the fight to maintain this profound gift.

Freedom is never secured in such a way that we can sit back and say, “Well that’s it. We don’t have to worry about freedom anymore. It’s taken care of!”

No. The struggle for freedom always continues because there have always been and there will always be people who want to deprive others of freedom.

There is gratitude in my heart for the privilege of living in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Independence Day helps remind me of something significant that I should probably bring to mind more frequently: the importance and beauty of freedom.

I hope you all have a safe and happy fourth of July. My sincerest heartfelt thanks to all American military personnel past and present.

Love and blessings to you. And God bless America!

Dan Marler

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