Land of the Free

The five Marines who were killed in an ugly display of evil last week in Chattanooga are some of the reasons we live in the land of the free.  The Marines, along with the rest of our military, help ensure that we are a nation that enjoys freedom.  Our founding fathers set the United States on a unique course at that point in history:  that we would seek freedom for all.  I am so grateful for the men and women that defend freedom on my behalf and on behalf of much of the world so that I can live a comfortable life in suburban America.  I am forever indebted to them.  I mourn for the families of the Marines who lost their lives.  I'm saddened for the people of Chattanooga, a community in which I have dear friends, because their freedom was interrupted with tragedy.

If there is one thing that I believe America has gotten right -- it's freedom.  Freedom is the gift God gave humanity.  We are free to choose good or bad.  We are responsible for our freedom.  People often want to ask in the face of tragedy like we saw in Chattanooga, "Why would God allow such evil or allow such a thing to happen?"  Well, God allowed freedom.  And we're either free or we're not.  There's not really an in-between.  We're free to choose good or chose evil.  But we have to live with the consequences of that freedom.  The man that killed those five Marines had the freedom to make a tragic choice.  God gives us that freedom because God wants us to freely choose Him.

We can certainly have laws that protect people, but we will never, ever be able to legislate people choosing wisely, because we always, ultimately have the freedom to choose poorly.  So what do we do?  We use our freedom for good.  We have the freedom to choose good every single day.  We honor the Marines who died in Chattanooga by using the freedom that service men and women have given us and that have been endowed to us by our Creator for good.  And choosing good makes a difference.

Recently, I've seen what I believe to be a father jogging around Grayson, but he's not alone.  He pushing his handicapped teenage son on a 3-wheel bicycle contraption.  He is always sweating and he is always smiling.  He could choose anger or bitterness.  He chose good.  He's choosing to soak up as much time with his son as possible.  He's choosing fitness and joy.  And I think about the stresses I have about parenthood.  They are meager.  I have the freedom choose good every day as a dad.  I can't change what happened in Chattanooga.  I can choose good.  And I believe that choosing good honors the freedom we've been given and inspires others.  It's all we've got.  Choose God.  Choose good.  Who knows how one decision might change someone's life to choose good the next time they are considering choosing evil?  That's how we make the world a better place.