Independence Day

Reflecting on the significance of July 4 in U.S. History, I wonder what we celebrate today, in 2014.  It is a day off work for most, there are flags and fireworks, food and drink, travel, etceteras.  How much time and thought do we spend on the true meaning of sacrifice, commitment and independence?  Do we appreciate the individuals who were willing to give up everything - possessions, even life itself, for something they believed was greater than themselves?  Has July 4 become an 'event' rather than an 'experience'?  An event being something outside of ourselves, external to our emotions and thoughts, while an experience is something internal, involving our minds and hearts; we feel it.  It has been 238 years since our official "Declaration of Independence" and the true significance may have lost out to so many distractions.

I think about other celebrations such as communion/the Lord's Supper.  How can such sacrifice, commitment, independence and grace become a thoughtless and emotionless event, even when celebrated every Sunday?  What about worship and community?  Have these become events as well?  Our very lives can become events, recorded in 'texts', 'selfies', e-mails, even photo albums.  I recall a song lyric stating "it's not how many breaths we take but how we breathe."

I hope we can experience this day and every day as a celebration of freedom from oppression, both as a citizen of the United States and a citizen of heaven.

Pray that we will slow down and contemplate the significance of each day...and don't allow prayer to become an event.

Doug Burns

Stephenville, Texas