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Today, the 4th of July, is quite special to me. On a personal level, it is my birthday. Among many happy or funny memories, I treasure one from when I turned 20. It was the bicentennial and my sister went around telling everyone I was 200. Even today, more than three decades removed from her declaration, I still laugh when I think of it.
In addition to this being a day of personal celebration, it is also special because it is the birthday of this country. Two hundred thirty-three years ago, in 1776, the founding fathers declared they would be a separate entity, no longer a colony of Great Britain. Though they had not yet won the struggle, this was the day that would forever mark their decision to assert independence. The majority of these individuals were as I am today: head over heels in love with Jesus. They believed in the message heartbeating through the Bible: God loves everyone, even those who reject His offer of a relationship.
These founding fathers believed that the bedrock principles of this new nation should include freedom of choice, while asserting that responsibility must be taken and consequences accepted, with a willingness to stand before God and explain the motivation. They hoped the immigrants to their 13 colonies would make good, wise decisions, and willingly support and obey the laws. They also longed for everyone to choose a relationship with the God they loved so much, just as Moses did: “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! Choose to love the Lord your God and to obey him and commit yourself to him, for he is your life” (Deuteronomy 30:19,20, New Living Translation). Yet, whatever any newcomers’ decisions might be, the founders of this country determined its foundation would be anchored on the principles of faith and respect, and provide room for individuality.
The introduction and conclusion to The Declaration of Independence explain it this way: “When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 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. … And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”
With so many things happening today, and so many persons or cultures misunderstood or (far worse) deliberately misinterpreted, it could be so easy to say, “You can only remain in this country if you believe as we do.” But that’s not God’s way, and it should not be the way of His children. Every man, woman, and child has been gifted by their Creator with the right to choose. And His love is so great that Jesus died for everyone, not just those who accept Him. Do we really need any other reason to show respect? I think not.
So, come join the party! Celebrate the unique variety of all God has made, the blessings you enjoy right now, the promise of better times ahead, and the loved ones that make it all so special! And if you want the recipe for chocolate orange ice cream my husband makes for me every year, just let me know.
all of Heaven’s best to you and yours,
Margret Boyd
Scribe of Heaven
(Matthew 13:51,52)
