Freedom comes with a price. “Nothing is ever free; someone has to pay for it.” Erwin McManus. Those are wise words that have enlightened and haunted me. I love to receive free things when I visit places. I love for events that could cost are free. I never stop to think that someone had to sacrifice in order for me to enjoy the event or the possession that is free. Maybe it’s time we all begin to think of what freedom for a country really is.
“Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?” This line is repeated in the last song in the musical, Hamilton. This weekend we celebrate the birth of a young country that is finally recognizing its sins of how so many people have not been treated equally with freedom. We cannot change the past, but we must learn from it in order to have freedom for all people. We cannot say we learned history in school. Our textbooks and teachers taught an incomplete history. Even though our country is young, you cannot teach complete history of 400 years in one school year.
In order to change the present and move forward for a better future, we have to discover the truth of our past. I have visited historical sites in Washington D.C. and discovered that slavery was harsh and the living conditions were inhumane. Slavery was not in any form glamorous. They were not treated equally or with gentleness. They were not treated like humans. We must now repent from our past and begin to treat all people as human beings. I know most people will say that they do, but I’ve read your social media posts, and I question if Americans really do treat people equally. If we don’t, we don’t have freedom.
That trip to Washington D.C. taught me many more of the truths of American history, and I wondered while I was there why none of these truths were taught to us in school. Now is the time to discover the truths of American history. This is not just for people that some people consider need to learn the truth. All Americans need to read, watch documentaries, go to historical places, and discover historical truths.
As a Christian, there are many people who do not know the truth of Christ. Christ brings freedom, but we only have that freedom when we know the truth of Christ. Many people will use scripture to defend their political arguments. Satan did that when he tempted Jesus. That’s misusing truth and distorting it. I have seen portions of scripture being used out of context. We need to use truth to bring people to the freedom of Christ, which is why we need to know the truth of Christ. In order to know the truth of Christ, it takes more than attending church. We must read, study, and connect with others to discover and understand the truth of Jesus.
Freedom comes with a price. That price is not just what our ancestors did. It comes with what we do today. Every day we have to make a choice of how we will treat people with whom we encounter. Our treatment of those people will determine if we live in freedom or if we are chained in bondage. No one is perfect, despite all the berating on social media, everyone has been chained in bondage with their ill treatment of others. It connects to sin.
As Christians, we were given freedom in Christ through his ultimate sacrifice. When someone pays the ultimate price for freedom, you would think that the lives of those affected would change drastically, but they don’t. We still treat people with rudeness, cruelty, and hatefulness. When we are unkind with our words, we are in bondage of sin and not accepting the freedom that Christ gave us with the sacrifice of his life. When we believe that people are inferior to us or treat them that way then we are living in the bondage of sin and refusing to live in the freedom of Christ. Most people I know would say that they are not doing these things or are trying to be better, but there is more.
When we refuse to empathize, and listen to the truth through stories of people who have different experiences than us and are hurting, we are giving into the idea of sin because when we do not listen or empathize, we are living with the belief that we are better than others, which gives freedom to no one. In our current times, our African-American brothers and sisters are hurting and begging for those of us who are white to listen to the truth and empathize. Listening without thinking of what to say next and empathizing is a start. Then, when we pray for forgiveness and solutions, we can discover one area in which we can make a difference. Then, we are not just saying that freedom is for everyone, but we are actually living it.
Christ gave his life for everyone. Anyone can accept Christ. We cannot give up on those who may reject Him or do not know Him. We have to desire freedom for everyone. When we know the truth, the truth will set us free, as we will discover that the freedom came from the ultimate price of the sacrifice of Jesus. May we all take this time to discover the truth.
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