I am so thankful that I can be in church this morning, praising God and not worried about what awaits me as I leave. I am so thankful I can get in my car and listen to my Christian radio station and drive down the road waving my hands in worship with my windows down, not fearful who may overhear. I am so thankful I can go to lunch with my family and openly pray over our meal without worry of being arrested. I am so thankful I can listen to a friend's need for a Bible, drive a block away and purchase one for her without fear of being found out--or worry that a Bible won't be available. I am so thankful that I have the choice to school my children at home, or a Christian school, where I can teach them about God and not need a security fence around that building to protect me from those seeking to stop me.
And in all my thankfulness I wonder...have we lost the sweetness of our freedom? Do we daily wake up and comprehend the privilege that we have, honor those who fought for it, and desire to protect it? Or do we take it for granted?
Do we let fear stop us from sharing Christ when we really have nothing to be fearful of?
I don't have any pretty pictures today to go with this. I don't have any funny words. Just a simple reminder that every day we need to live in complete thankfulness for the freedom we still have: the very basic freedom of religion.
Share Him today.
Awesome, Susan! It's way too easy to take our freedom for granted. Thanks for the incredibly important reminder!
ReplyDeleteAmen! I do think we, I included, take the blessed freedom to worship for granted. Thanks for bringing it home today and reminding us of our incredible we have it.
ReplyDeleteMy fear is that by taking our freedoms for granted, we have become desensitized to the fact that there are people trying to steal those freedoms from us everyday. As Christians we have to stay on guard and be willing to stand firm in our beliefs. Could I, like my fellow Christians in other countries, stand firm at the risk of my life? I hope we never have to endure that test to find out. Thanks for the though-provoking post.
ReplyDeleteI never take my freedom of religion for granted, knowing that any day now it will disappear; but, I love to be reminded daily to stay humble. So thank you for the reminder. :o)
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