Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

As we all gather together with family and friends enjoying great company, delicious all-american barbecue and spectacular fireworks let's reflect on what brought us here.

Our country since the day of its inception has been full of dreams, ambition, spirit and pride. Seeing an injustice done to them they rebelled and fought to be free. Arming themselves with godly leadership and unsure of the outcome they marched forward and fought. Even when it seemed dim they persevered remembering what it was they were fighting for, FREEDOM.

Freedom is such an important word for us. It's the foundation of our entire country. Without that desire of being independent we would have no USA. One of the definitions of freedom is: free will, the ability to make one's own choices. As a nation they willed to have a better way of life. They chose to believe that any risk was worth the sacrifice. That spirit has resonated throughout the decades. Each generation has taken upon itself an injustice and fought for freedom. It is one of the many gifts that our forefathers left us to hold dear and taught us to grab hold.

The Declaration of Independence are the words of great men who believed great truths. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. " They recognized that we are one people from One Creator who have unalienable rights. They had one vision. They were able to achieve that vision by trusting in God to bring them through and giving Him the acknowledgment and honor that He deserved. They heeded Paul's advice in Philippians 2:1-4:
"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." They became of one mind, one vision and humbly recognizing that was the only way to succeed.

Not all our founding fathers were Christians but they could not deny God. Benjamin Franklin is said to be a Deist, which is one who believes that we were created by a creator, but that the creator does not intervene in human affairs. He had a belief in God but not a relationship. But even so he credits God with bringing our country into existence, "The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?” God was all around the birth of our nation. It's hard to refute that fact when one who believes that God doesn't intervene in human affairs credits God for intervening.

God chose 56 men to join together and rise against one of world's greatest army at the time. Despite the consequences they would face if they lost the battle they declared their independence. With each stroke of the quill they signed their death sentence. As Benjamin Franklin put it "We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." They knew death was a possibility but they didn't allow fear to debilitate them. They saw their future and it was worth their lives.

So today I'm thankful for these 56 brave men and the many men and women who fought along side them for 7 years. I'm also thankful for the men and women (and their families) past and present who continually fight to protect our unalienable rights.

Thank You God for our freedom and may we daily give you praise and honor!

Happy Independence Day!!!