Independence Day

“For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil.  Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good.  But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.”  Romans 13:3-4

Today is the day that we normally celebrate our freedom as a land founded upon the rule of law which was based upon the laws of Almighty God.  But something has gone terribly wrong.  No longer do some people respect the law nor are they concerned about infringing upon the rights of others to live, as the Apostle Paul stated in I Timothy 2:2, “a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”.  No, instead, a small percentage of folks have decided that everyone has to concede their rights to a band of people who are out to destroy America and make it into a godless nation, and they don’t care who they hurt in the process.

On this day I think about my Dad who served in the Army during WWII and fought at Guadalcanal in the South Pacific against the Japanese who had attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing many of our sailors who were stationed there.  I think about all the other men and women who bravely served during that time and were honored for their service.  There are very few of them still living currently.  Most of them, if asked, would do it all over again.  These are the patriots, those who love America and the principles upon which she was founded, freedom and the rights of individuals to pursue opportunities to make their lives and the lives of their families and communities better.  They are not called the “Great Generation” for nothing.

It seems to me as I watched the rioting, looting, and the destruction of historical monuments in several cities and towns, that, while racism is something that should be protested and a dialogue must continue in how to solve the problems of inequality, much of what is going on has nothing to do with racism, but more or less young people who are attempting to get the attention of others.  Many of these kids come from affluent families and likely have had everything they ever desired materially.  They have no clue as to how the suffering and sacrifice of the Great Generation has given them the opportunity to live in a land where they have been free to do as they please without making any sacrifice of their own.  They remind me of little children who like to tear up their own toys or those of others just because they get some sort of evil glee from doing so.  Who knows if they will ever grow up and become mature citizens who will one day be ashamed of what they have done.  We can only hope that the Lord will send conviction upon them at some point, and that they will repent and acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior.  However, unless they repent of their destruction, vulgarity, and harm done against their fellow citizens, they will experience the wrath of God eventually.

If my Dad and the thousands of other veterans who are no longer living on earth could come back and see what has happened to the country for which many of them died, they would first be heartbroken, and then I think they would be angry, not the kind of anger that makes folks become destructive, but the kind of anger that we call righteous indignation.  While they fought the enemy in the various wars, they likely would never have thought that some of their own American people would become the enemy.  While I think about my Dad, I also think about other loved ones who have passed away in the last few years.  If they could also return to this earth, they would be shocked at the changes over the last ten years or so.  While I certainly miss them, I am glad that they are not having to experience the sadness and anxiety that has been caused by a world that has gone mad.