At Least I Know I'm Free

I'm sitting here, drinking coffee and staring at a blank post box. Why? Because I'm really not quite sure how I want to start this post. Perhaps I should just type my thoughts, no matter how random they may appear as I write them.

When was the last time you cried, with supreme gratefulness, for the freedoms we enjoy here in the United States of America? Perhaps it was during a 4th of July celebration. That is a time when most of us often hear Lee Greenwood's great song "God Bless the U.S.A."

If tomorrow all the things were gone I’d worked for all my life,
And I had to start again with just my children and my wife.
I’d thank my lucky stars to be living here today,
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom and they can’t take that away.

And I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land God bless the U.S.A.

From the lakes of Minnesota, to the hills of Tennessee,
across the plains of Texas, from sea to shining sea,

From Detroit down to Houston and New York to LA,
Well, there’s pride in every American heart,
and it’s time to stand and say:

I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land God bless the U.S.A.


God Bless The U.S.A. Words and Music by Lee Greenwood
© Copyright 1984 by MUSIC CORPORATION OF AMERICA, INC. & SONGS OF POLYGRAM INTERNATIONAL, INC.
All Rights Controlled and Administered by MUSIC CORPORATION OF AMERICA, INC.
International Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved

We are 6 months away from the next 4th of July celebration. However, several events in my own life recently brought tears to my eyes. As I thought about our great nation and our unique heritage that song was recalled to my mind.

I recently viewed a documentary movie entitled, "A Nation Adrift - Standing at the Crossroads of America's Destiny." The cover of the DVD has a photo of the famous painting where General George Washington is seen kneeling in prayer, in uniform, next to his horse near the area where the great Battle of Valley Forge was fought.

The quote:

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almight God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits and humbly implore His protection and favor. - George Washington

This video instilled within me an ever greater admiration, respect, and thankfulness for the great men of God who founded this nation. The Christian faith and adherence to the Bible were absolutely foundational in the creation of our great nation.

Did you know that Harvard was originally created as a college institution dedicated to educating men to be Christian ministers? The secular humanistic liberalism that has taken over the university would probably shock our Founders. Interestingly enough, as Harvard became to liberal, another university (Yale) was built to continue biblical instruction. Yale is now just as liberal and humanistic today.

Back to the founding of our nation.

It certainly wasn't easy. Many brave military men fought hard for the freedoms that we often take for granted here in America today. Just the fact that over 600,000 men died in our own civil war tells us the price that often needs to be paid to preserve such freedom.

Since then, in the many wars that have been fought for freedom, many more men and women have died serving this country. It is true. Freedom is not "free"...it is often very costly. However, the lives that have been saved as a result of our brave military coming to the aid of the oppressed are in much greater numbers. Every life is precious, of course. But I truly believe that no life which dies in defense of our own nation, or in rescuing the oppressed in others, is in vain. They should be honored and considered as "well done, good and faithful servant" moments.

The video description:

This is the true story of how God's sovereign hand guided the founders of America. It takes you on a journey...from Christopher Columbus to Jamestown...from Valley Forge to the Constitutional Convention...from the Civil War to the Stock Market Crash...from FDR to the present. The result of the journey will give us a better understanding of where America is today, how she arrived here, and where she must turn at this critical hour. For as Thomas Jefferson once asked, "Can the liberties of a nation be secure, when we have removed the conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?"

Of course, an entire history of our nation cannot be contained within only 93 minutes. However, the parts that were discussed and covered do help us to realize:

"...An excellent video for anyone wanting to know the truth about the rich history and heritage of this nation." - Jim Woodall, Vice President Concerned Women for America

At the same time, we are made aware of why this nation has morally gone adrift:

"...Should be viewed in churches, homes, and schools across the nation. This video illustrates how the forces of humanism have attacked America's foundation of faith..." - Don Wildmon, President American Family Association

I learned more about atheist and "purify the human race through eugenics" Margaret Sanger than I ever wanted to know. Her racism and push towards abortion rights, ended up leading our nation to realize her evil "dream" (more accurately described as a nightmare!!) now known as the American abortion holocaust when abortion became legal in 1973.

From Wikipedia:

Pro-life groups have frequently condemned Sanger for her views, attributing her efforts to promote birth control to a desire to "purify" the human race through eugenics, and even to eliminate minority races by placing birth control clinics in minority neighborhoods.[20] For this reason, Sanger is often quoted selectively or out of context, and her history and involvement with socialism and eugenics have often been rationalized or even ignored by her defenders and biographers.

I think that our Founders would be absolutely horrified about this moral atrocity, as well. Another terrrible result of those who adhere to godlessness in our culture. Perhaps that issue could be covered more extensively in another blog post.

What is absolutely astounding to me is the fact that what the Founders envisioned for the direction of our nation verses where we are today would be totally unrecognizable to them. Seriously. That had to be the most glaringly obvious thing to me after watching the entire video.

Despite the fact that our nation is in desperate need of a God reverencing re-awakening, the fact that the Founders put many checks and balances into our founding documents has kept us in much better shape than many other countries. We need to be continually grateful for that!

Several days ago, I became aware of the plight of a blogger named Lionheart from the U.K.. He is experiencing intense religious persecution and is in danger of being arrested because the U.K. does not afford its citizens the same freedom of speech rights that the U.S.A. enjoys.

After reading about many of the trials and tribulations that this individual is experiencing, I went outside into the fresh air and peaceful quiet of mid-day, praying for this man and thanking God for blessing our nation.

Yes, we have problems here. Yes, we can improve them. But the fact that we have freedoms here that cannot be matched by any other nation on earth should make us all very, very grateful.

One comment at the Lee Greenwood video site sums it up quite well:

dodgerman88 (15 hours ago) Our nation introduced freedom to the world in a way it never had [e]ver seen. It is the nation of honor and sacrifice, America, is a nation, that tries to be good. Sometimes it does not succeed, but it is the first benevolent world super power. America, is a great nation.