Our annual Fourth of July national holiday is nearly here. We call it a celebration of freedom, but what does it mean to be free…really? In an nation that determined that prayer in schools was unconstitutional, where speaking out in favor of traditional marriage is considered hate-speech, where more is done to protect abortionist than babies, where government plays an increasing role in how we live our lives, what does it really mean to be free?

We have much for which to be thankful in this nation, but we must never forget the price of freedom nor the responsibility of freedom. When God is no longer relevant to our political process, when religious freedom is sacrificed on the altar of governmental edicts that require compromising truth, when we see our redemption in government rather than Christ, then we have truly lost sight of what it means to live in freedom. We are like the frog in the proverbial boiling pot unaware that the end is closer than he thinks.

One of my favorite commentators is a woman named Star Parker (www.urbancure.org). In recent article commenting on the desperate state of freedom in our land, she observes how the loss of the influence of religion, and specifically Christianity, in our political and educational arena has coincided with a growing view that “eternal moral truths are irrelevant to political freedom.” As a result, Star observed that “the antidote of personal responsibility transformed into entitlements and victimization.” In other words, freedom has been sacrificed for promises of personal security and in the process, we have lost sight of the fact that “freedom isn’t about politics,” as she notes, “but about moral truths and personal responsibility.”

So, this year as you put the burgers and brauts on the grill, wave the flag, attend a rousing patriotic concert and fireworks display, be sure to tell your grandchildren that freedom is fragile and can easily be lost if we forget that God is Sovereign, and we fail to stand up for what is true and right. Thousands of men and women laid down their lives in the American Revolution because they believed in true freedom and were willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice to gain it. To keep it demands the same selfless sacrifice and hard work. That’s a lesson worth teaching our grandchildren. Teach them well so that they will not forget what freedom really means. Only then dare we sing “God Bless America.”

Do you agree? How do you teach and model for your grandchildren the truth about freedom?