Two Kinds of Freedom
My best friend reminded me that freedom would be a good topic for today…she is right.
Another Memorial Day has come. Once each year on this specific day we honor those who gave their lives to preserve freedom. A former president used these words to explain the act of the living remembering the dead: “It is right and fitting that we should do this.”
They died, to preserve our freedom.
What is freedom? On this Memorial Day, we honor the dead for the freedom they preserved. What did so many give their lives for? Is Memorial Day worthy of an entire nation pausing for a day-just to remember those who died for freedom? Read on…
Questions propel our thinking.
Use these questions to draw your own conclusions about freedom… Do you value personal liberty? Is personal independence important to you? Do you believe a lack of restrictions is significant to personal living? Do you enjoy the practice of self-determination, and self-rule? What about choice, the freedom to choose? Freedom is found in all of those things.
Would you be willing to give up your freedom?
During the current virus crisis, we have discovered what losing freedoms can feel like. Because of it, some of our freedoms have been sacrificed to halt the spread of the virus.
To enable us to think about freedom, three photos are included. Two are of American flags. The red, white and blue, the grand old flag is an international symbol of freedom. Its presence on battlefields has given hope to those in the fight for freedom, beginning with Francis Scott Key.
The “Walk of Flags”, Fergus Falls, Minnesota.
Why is a cross the 3rd photo? While, Memorial Day is the day we set aside to remember the men and women who gave their lives for our freedom, it is also the perfect day to remember the offer of eternal freedom Jesus bought for us with His death on the cross. The day we remember the price that family members and neighbors paid for our earthly freedom may be the ideal day to remember that Jesus made the ultimate and decisive sacrifice. His sacrifice paid for eternal freedom-from our sins. This is the second freedom.
This cross is clean, and tidy…but it represents the blood stained one Jesus gave His life on…for you, and me.
Really, there are two kinds of freedom.
One is passing, lasting as long as life on earth continues, the other eternal, and ceaseless. Eternity never ends, and there are two states of eternity: heaven and hell.
Many have spent time in cemeteries today-remembering the fallen. It is fitting. Whether in a cemetery or elsewhere today; Memorial Day refreshes our memories-people died for us. We see the flag and remember we have earthly freedoms because of their sacrifices. We see the cross and remember…One died for all of us. His sacrifice gives all who believe in Him forgiveness and freedom from sin forever. This is eternal truth.
Today, we are grateful for the earthly freedoms bought for us at the price of life. There is no foolishness at a Memorial Day ceremony. There was no foolishness at the cross either. Today is also a good day to recall the price of both freedoms-the temporary and the eternal freedom. It is prudent to do both.