Freedom Isn’t Free

We had a church picnic last weekend.
It was a wonderful time of food, fellowship, and baseball.
There were two, not so evenly matched teams…the adults vs. the children.

Before you judge and yell unfair, the adults had to bat with their opposite hand and they only had one out.
Needless to say, it was more than fair.
The adults walked away blushing a little bit.

The tables were full of delicious food and desserts.
The weather was absolutely perfect.
My youngest daughter was asked to take pictures to capture the day.
I was asked to make a musical playlist and was teased a bit about having a “patriotic mix”.
Doesn’t everyone?

We all gathered around for the National Anthem before the game.
Some of the children were holding small flags as the adults stood facing the flag pole.

I looked down and saw one of the little boys in a small, blue, folding chair.
He was sitting right in front of me, in the shade of a large tree.
He was holding his flag up…too little to sing, or hold his hand over his heart.
Complete innocence.
It was a moment that would not come again.

I motioned to my daughter, who was standing across from me, to take a picture.
Not understanding my hand gestures, she walked quietly over towards me.
She got her perfect shot.

One of our dear friends, the father of this little boy, also served in the Navy.
There he was, his 6’7″ height, standing at attention, hand over his heart.
He did not miss what transpired between my daughter and me.

Later, he asked her, Do you know what I think of when I hear the National Anthem?
I think of Tom and Dave and Jim…
He listed name after name of friends, fellow soldiers, who had died.

He wasn’t reprimanding her.
He was reminding her.

He and I talked yesterday and he told me about that conversation.
It was totally my fault, I said.
I saw the perfect opportunity for the perfect picture…
As I went on, I realized, there was no excuse.
I was wrong.
I apologized to him for my insensitivity.
I know better.

My throat tightens, to this day, when I hear that song, or any patriotic music.
It doesn’t take much for tears to come to my eyes when I listen to a band at a parade.
But that day…the perfect picture was more important.

I do not know Tom, Dave, or Jim…or John…or Mark…or Alex…or…
But I do.

They are the ones that secured my freedom.
They are the ones that sacrificed their comforts, and time with their family, to go to a distant land and fight, so I could be free.
Free to have church picnics.
Free to take the perfect picture.
Free to play baseball on a beautiful spring day.
Free to worship God in my church…with my church family.
Free…with no fear.

I forgot.
Or…if I remembered…at that moment, I acted as if it was insignificant.
It is not!
Freedom isn’t free.

There is another man who came, and left His comfort, and His Father, to go to a distant land, where He didn’t belong, so that I could be free.
The enemies He fought were sin and death.
He is victorious over both.

My freedom cost Him everything.
It cost Him…His life.

Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting. (1 Corinthians 15:54, 55)

Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem, knowing full well the fate that waited for Him there. (Luke 9:51)
Jesus took the hill of Calvary.
He knew the enemy we would face.
He took the beating, the nails, the humiliation…that really belonged to us.
Without His victory, we would not stand a chance.

For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:4,5)

We do not earn our freedom.
We never could.
It is too big a debt…at too great a price.
Soldiers know that when they willingly go to battle…in our place.

Jesus knew that when He willingly submitted to the Father’s will and went to the cross.
In our place.

But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation, through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:8-11)

 

Thank you to all the veterans, and to those currently serving our country.
You have sacrificed so much for us.
Because of you, we are free.
We remember.

 

2 responses to “Freedom Isn’t Free”

1. That so spoke to me…

   Reply

   • Janna,
     A humble reminder for any of us that stand corrected…where nonchalance is NOT an option.
     Gina

     Reply