Freedom

With the impending 4th of July holiday on our doorstep, I can't help but think about the cost of freedom. From the standpoint of a Patriot there are almost countless names that line the tombstones of graveyards that represent that ultimate sacrifice. From brave men and women who lost their lives in combat to brave men and women who set aside their lives so they could fight for a cause they believed in...the cost is staggering.
What that price bought was the ability to live in relative peace, comfort and happiness, pursuing the ideals of 18th century gentlemen who had experienced life at it's worst. Today we enjoy soaring gas prices...but have the means to fill our tanks. We moan at the tax bills...but are protected by the very government we pay. We curse the potholes but recognize they are from forces of nature instead of craters of war.
At the risk of making more out of the cost of freedom than I should, we must remember that, while our political freedom continues to require selfless sacrifice on the part of humans, our spiritual freedom was bought with the blood of God. No higher price has ever been paid...and none will ever match it. The agony of fathers and mothers who bury their brave offspring can't begin to compare with the pain felt by our Creator in having to sacrifice Himself so that we could be free from bondage to Satan and self.
We cannot afford to forget the price of freedom, whether political or spiritual...for when we do we are doomed to slavery.