We just celebrated another Fourth of July in the United States. You probably heard all the familiar refrains in speeches and songs about liberty and freedom. But what do we mean when we speak of liberty? Do you have a grasp of its meaning? The truth is that we cannot give what we do not have. How shall we leave a legacy of liberty to our grandchildren that conveys accurately the meaning and price of liberty if we don’t understand it ourselves?

It was Abraham Lincoln who said, “Plainly, the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of liberty.” He pointed out that when the shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep’s pasture, the sheep are undoubtedly grateful for the liberty the shepherd has secured. The wolf, on the other hand, views the shepherd as the destroyer of his liberty.

Those who founded this country and established our Constitution for the sake of liberty knew that liberty is a serious matter worth dying for, but it must be rooted in one thing—faith in Almighty God and His Word. Liberty is not about license to do as I please. A German proverb says, “Liberty is God’s gift, liberties the devil’s.” Walt Whitman wrote, “The shallow consider liberty a release from all law, from every constraint. The wise man sees in it, on the contrary, the potent Law of Laws.” George Bernard Shaw correctly observed that, “Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.”

What is your view of liberty? Is it based upon what is true, or what is popular? What would your grandchildren learn about liberty from your life—the way you talk, how you treat others, and the faith you display? Liberty has as its foundation faith and virtue (a little used word both in speech and life). Without these we are left with anarchy (chaos) and ultimately, tyranny. Our founding fathers fought, sacrificed and died for liberty. It was that precious.

Sadly, bleating like sheep for security and freedom to do as we please, we have given the wolf the liberty to do as he pleases with us. We have exchanged liberty for slavery on the government plantation. Norman Vincent Peale was correct when he said, “The solutions for America’s problem is not in terms of big government, but it is in big men over whom nobody stands in control but God.” We have become a people who settle for handouts when God calls us to be standouts—a people who walk in the truth. When we know the truth and walk in it, Jesus said, “the truth will set you free (John 8:32).” It has always been true!

Let me suggest three things courageous grandparents can do to build a legacy of true liberty for the next generations.

1. Use a Legacy Journal to write down some of your thoughts about liberty. If you have not already started a legacy journal, do it today. Click here for information about our Legacy Journal to help you get started.
2. Make our national holidays like Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day opportunities to talk to your grandchildren about the meaning of freedom and liberty. What does “liberty and justice for all” mean in our pledge of allegiance?
3. Rent or buy the DVD Monumental by Kirk Cameron. Watch it with your children and grandchildren, then talk about it. (There is also a study guide and DVD Training Course available)

GRANDPAUSE: To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical [imaginary] idea.  -James Madison

What are some ways you have found productive for sharing the truth about liberty and freedom with your grandchildren? I’d like your feedback.