The Cost of Freedom~It Isn't FREE!

Happy Fourth for our nation's 233 Birthday~

Despite our troubles, our nation is the greatest on earth and prayerfully we will remain so~

Freedom costs us all, and many of us more than others. First I think about and REMEMBER our fallen HEROES! From the very beginning of the idea of freedom, the idea that a people could self rule without a monarchy or dictatorship, lives were forever changed either in death or losses as they pursued the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I have read accounts of the signers of the Declaration of Independence what happened to many of them~and it was not good results for many of them! Oh we all know about some, like the ones who went on to become our Founding Fathers: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, but there were others who lost so much~their lives, economic stability and even their families. But Freedom rang in their hearts in that time when only a dream of becoming a free people was not much more than a hope for a reality that in the end would forever change the world~England's 13 colonies were destined to become 13 United States of America! Today with fifty states and US territories around the world, our nation has emerged to become the greatest nation and strongest "super power" the world has ever seen. But this freedom comes with cost. Cost not just in the lives of our brave men and women of our armed forces, but in the very lives of the people who enjoy the benefits of this freedom as responsible citizens, the keepers if you will of this freedom.

What are the costs of freedom to the citizen of a free nation? Costs of knowledge, responsibility, patriotism and honor. Each bares the burdens to the public for certain actions to sustain and promote the freedom of our nation. Knowledge alone is a burden we must bare to be educated in arenas such as world history, economics, morality, and more. This isn't easy as homeschoolers know~we spend so much of our time looking for good curricula to educate our children and thereby educate ourselves. The statistics are staggering at the success of homeschooling verses the lock-step political mind control of public education (It's not just a moral value that is good rationale for home ed.)

Responsibility has become almost a dirty word in society today as often folks are prone to blaming and passing the proverbial buck when personal choice and responsibility play such crucial roles in the everyday of sustaining society, the part of our nation in which we all live! How in the world can our citizens practice personal responsibility when so much blaming and shifting around truth is an everyday occurance. I have to indict the media for some of this, but also the moral fibers of our churches are weakening as families comprised of people are failing. All this to remind us that our freedom isn't FREE.

Yes, I have the freedom to say what I want to, but in your hearing my personal responsibility is to consider you my fellow citizen. Consideration for others is key in responsibility. It goes right back to the Garden of Eden where the sin or trouble wasn't in the actual act, although it was wrong, it was the motive of Eve: to be as wise as God. Who in their "right mind" would attempt to be God? But we do it ALL the time when we usurp His authority as God to do things our own way with disregard for His authority as Creator. Then when Adam and Eve were cowering and God was looking for them, "Where are you?" God called, they were not taking personal responsibility with the One who knew the truth of their actions but blamed everyone from each other to the serpant. Personal responsibility is necessary and comes at a price. We must pay it each day to remain a free and thriving nation.

Patriotism is love of country~have we forgottnen to love our nation? National pride, standing UP for our country~having a heart for our great land and more. . . Are we willing to do what is necessary to remain free? Remember there is cost we must ALL pay~no free loaders allowed! We must demand that all our citizens work for the common good of our nation!

Does anyone know the meaning of honor anymore? HONOR~truthfulness, fidelity, trustworthiness: ideals that must accompany all that makes freedom possible. These do not come easy, but they are a necessary cost for FREEDOM and a nation that has such a high price tag~

No wonder we have so much to celebrate today~it's more than just a day of cookouts, fireworks and patriotic music~it's a day to reflect on the costs associated with having such a wonderful nation and to continue in committment to the United States of America~the home of the free because of the BRAVE!

Happy 4th of July~celebrate all that is STILL so right with our nation! AND hey, these costs, yea, they cost a bunch even to the extent of our very lives, but what a bargain~FREEDOM!

God Bless America, my home sweet home!

blessings
SisterTipster <3