President John Adams wrote to his wife in 1776: “The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore.”
While we Americans do a great job of celebrating with pomp and parade, I can’t help but be struck by Adam’s wishes for the day to be commemorated as “the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.” I can personally confess to falling way short on that. Games? Got it. Illuminations? Really got it. Picnics with burgers, hot dogs, and ice cream. Oh, yeah.
But this “solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty ” mandate has thrown me into a public statement of guilt. Oh sure, I do pray solemnly and reverently for those who came before me, who threw themselves into the line of fire to give me freedom. And liberty. And of course the ongoing pursuit of happiness of which we are so addicted. But celebrating July 4th with solemn acts of devotion has never been ingrained into my thinking about the day.
I love what Paul says about freedom in the book of Galations: “It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. Gal 5:13-14 (The Message)
As July 4th is celebrated throughout this great country of ours, I will be celebrating my freedom and liberty with my family in another land. We will be vacationing in South America, where, ironically enough, the personal freedoms we have so enjoyed here in the United States are in scarce supply throughout many regions there. Whether or not we will even have access to “illuminations” is in serious debate. The probability of enjoying hamburgers, hot dogs, and ice cream is downright miniscule.
Wherever you happen to be this July 4th, I hope you take some significant time out of your day to honor John Adams’ wish: commit to spending some portion of your day to “solemn acts of devotion.” Take time out today to pray for our country. Pray for the soldiers on the other side of the world who are currently fighting for others’ freedoms. Pray for their families…that they have peace about their loved ones’ safety and mission there. Pray for our leaders…that, while keeping the courage to stand up for their convictions, they would continue to keep the interests of others at heart as well. Pray for the safety of our citizens…that we be protected from random acts of terrorism and violence. And pray for those who came before us…those men and women upon whose tall shoulders our personal freedom and liberty rest.
Enjoy the day with your family and serve one another with love. Gather with neighbors for a bike parade. Enjoy your favorite barbequed foods, run through the sprinkler, catch fireflies with your kids, suck ice cream out of the bottom of a cone, and watch fireworks on a blanket in your local park or in your own backyard.
And promise to be ever mindful today, of your personal freedom, your liberty, and your rights. Be thankful. Pour out a blessing on behalf of those to whom you owe it. Love others. Hug your kids. Hug your spouse. And pat your dog.
Happy Independence Day!
NOTE: Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson, 1993, 1994, 1995. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Carolina Fernandez earned an M.B.A. and worked at IBM and as a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch before coming home to work as a wife and mother of four. She totally re-invented herself along the way. Strong convictions were born about the role of the arts in child development; ten years of homeschooling and raising four kids provide fertile soil for devising creative parenting strategies. These are played out in ROCKET MOM! 7 Strategies To Blast You Into Brilliance. It is widely available online, in bookstores or through 888-476-2493. She writes extensively for a variety of parenting resources and teaches other moms via seminars, workshops, keynotes and monthly meetings of the ROCKET MOM SOCIETY, a sisterhood group she launched to “encourage, equip and empower moms for excellence.” Please visit http://www.rocketmom.com.

