Ah, tomorrow is the fourth of July. Last year I spent this day, this holiday on the outskirts of a tiny town in Tennessee. I was in fact at my training camp for The World Race. I remember singing Francis Scott Key's renowned lyrics at sunrise with 40+ strangers in a field full of our tents that were still wet with condensation. It was weird and wonderful altogether. The year prior, I was in Colorado Springs. I had only been there for about one week. With no job, no friends, and no big plans, I was in slight despair. I'll tell you what I did…I went to Five Guys and bought myself a burger, fries, and a sweet tea. Then, I drove around the city with Sheila (my attractive yellow Wrangler) in search of fireworks. I sat in a bank parking lot and watched tiny distant explosions from the U.S. Air Force Academy while finishing my cold fries.
It's been a while since I've had a proper Fourth of July…whatever that means. I find it humorous that this also happens to be my most favorite holiday.
Not quite sure how I will celebrate this year, I've been wracking my brain for something. Maybe I will make my team sing the Star Spangled Banner multiple times throughout the day… In any case, I just made an "Independence Day" play list complete with Miley Cyrus' Party in the U.S.A. and the Zac Brown Band's Chicken Fried. This seems like a good start.
Like Zac Brown, I am realizing how wonderful the existences of these things actually are…
"…Chicken fried,
Cold beer on a Friday night,
A pair of jeans that fit just right,
And the radio on…"
I don't intend to speak lightly about these wonderful little things. Maybe I should, because well, these things aren't a big deal. In the grand scheme of this life, they're only miniscule pleasures.
In no way do I wish to make my current situation in Malaysia seem at all dire, for it is actually pretty great. However, I must give way to some realizations of just how thrilled I am to be landing in L.A. in three weeks.
I am anxious for simple liberties.
Sure, I understand that I am not able to drink alcohol during this time at my ministry site. Overseas, drinking can often times harm any good thing that has been accomplished in the name of Christ. This being a highly saturated Muslim nation, folks in Malaysia associate drinking with unholiness.
I also understand how crucial it is that I dress particularly modest. For the same general reasoning, a woman who reveals too much skin is considered Western and sinful.
Whether or not I actually have always recited Galatians 5:1 (For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery), I have had to consistently remind myself of where my true freedom lies. For most of these past eleven months, I have had to recognize that I am being restricted from my typical freedoms for the furtherance of the Gospel.
Even still, I am incredibly grateful that my country deems it acceptable that I enjoy a Blue Moon, workout in running shorts, and log onto my facebook account without government interference.
Even more so, I am indebted in my rights to practice my beliefs, speak freely, and carry a gun (if I ever do choose). =)
I've been especially trying to keep up with the news headlines this year. An outsider might say that I've been doing a decent job. I may be be in Southeast Asia, but I am aware that our President's healthcare bill has passed. I may have a high opinion about this said mandate. On a larger scale, I also may have some questions stirring in my mind about the future of our nation as a whole. Our nation seems to be straying from it's so-called Christian roots. But was our nations even a "Christian" one to begin with? After all, according to the new, "factual" featured film; Abraham Lincoln must have been a vampire killer! Can either of the 2012 candidates be beneficial to the betterment/upholding our our country's well-being?
I don't know. You and I can only hope and pray.
Although many policies seem to be shifting and many things are to be questioned, we must remain grateful. It's more than okay to be analytical of events. Even still, we must remain full of praise.
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
We must remain full of gratitude to our military, to our politicians, and to the Father for placing these individuals in their positions. Ultimately, He is the One who has seen us through and continues to watch over us, granting us these irreplaceable freedoms.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." -James 1:17
Thank you Father for the fact that my country "provide[s] for the common defense, promote[s] the general welfare, and secure[s] the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity…" Things have not always been perfect. We have had recessions, terrorist attacks, prohibition, and civil war. Even with the downfalls, it is better….so much better than the ways in which people across most nations are in bondage to their government's rulings.
Glad that I am able to set out on the pier. A bottle in hand. Wearing shorts. The sun setting behind me. The night's fireworks beginning over the water.
FREEDOM!
Thank you, Jesus.
