This weekend, as we celebrate 250 years as a nation, I find myself feeling especially thoughtful and grateful for the freedoms I enjoy every single day simply because of where I was born.

I am grateful for the opportunities that previous generations worked so hard and sacrificed to preserve. Grateful that I was born in a country where I am able to worship my God freely, pursue an education, build any kind of life that I want, and share my beliefs without fear.

Travel has allowed me to see cultures, traditions, and ways of life very different from my own. It has broadened my perspective and reminded me that so much of what we take for granted is not guaranteed everywhere.

But travel has also taught me something else.

No matter where you live, no country, political system, or government can provide the deepest freedom that every human heart longs for.

The freedoms we celebrate on the Fourth of July are precious gifts. But even our greatest earthly freedoms point us toward an even greater freedom—one that no government can give and no circumstance can take away.

True freedom is found in Jesus Christ.

Following Jesus frees us from the bondage of sin and from the empty promises this world tries to hold us in.

Romans 8:2 remind us,

“through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

It is freedom from guilt.
Freedom from shame.
Freedom from striving.
Freedom from the burden of trying to save ourselves.

That verse has always been a powerful reminder that while earthly freedoms are a tremendous blessing, they are temporary. The freedom we have in Christ is eternal.

2 Corinthians 3:17 remind us,

“For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

This Fourth of July, I’ll hopefully get to enjoy some fireworks. I’ll probably eat far too much good food, spend time with people I love, and thank God for the country I call home.

But before any of that, I’ll thank Him for something even greater.

He saw me in my sin and loved me anyway.
He saw me in my brokenness and made me whole.
He saw me in my addictions and filled me with His peace, His love, and His joy.
He saw me in the pit I had dug for myself and called me by name.
He offered me a freedom no government could ever grant and no circumstance could ever take away.

Because long after the fireworks have faded and the flags have been folded away for another year, the freedom we have in Christ remains.

And that is the freedom worth celebrating every single day.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!” – John 8:36

And perhaps that is what I am most thankful for this Independence Day.

May I never take either gift for granted.

Happy Fourth of July, friends. 🇺🇸

XOXO,
Scarlett