I'm in Baltimore listening to firecrackers being exploded by novices. Given the increase in gunshots and violence, hearing the sound of mini-explosions produces an erie feeling. Should I duck, lay on the ground, look out the window, or hold my hands to my ears; the sounds, instead of being enjoyable and exciting, they are scary and somewhat terrifying. July 4th celebrations should not produce those kinds of feelings. We should feel the excitement of being free!
Maybe the tenseness I feel is due to the fact we are not free. We are revisiting old conversations and pulling the scab off of old wounds, particularly as we talk about taking the Confederate battle flag off of pole on the grounds of the Capital in South Carolina and elsewhere. This flag is a symbol of defiance and degradation.
Maybe we are not free when we are hiding in our homes because of the increasing killings occuring in urban setting throughout America. Is the issue police violence, without identifying violence that any type is evil? It is ironic that people are moving about their communities fearing the police officers and the element that is producing violent outcomes, as well.
As I honestly reflect, I'm free because the God I serve through His Son Jesus Christ has set me and all of us free. This is the ultimate sense of freedom. It is greater than civic or historical freedom: it is the spiritual freedom one achieves when you acknowledge in your spirit that Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
Happy Independence Day! July 4, 2015 begins a new era in our journey towards Him.
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