Happy Memorial Day!





I am very thankful for the men and women who have fought in order to give us the freedoms that we have today. When I think about the freedoms that we have been given, I also have to think about how often I take these freedoms for granted.

image from here

I was talking to my dentist the other day about the civil war. He was saying about how scary it would be to fear walking out your door because you don't know what you might face on the other side. 9/11 is the scariest event like this that I have faced, but I was not afraid of who was outside of my door. I don't have to fear for my life because of these brave soldiers.

The freedom that I think we take the most advantage of, is the freedom of religion.

When I was in Moldova several years ago, we were at a Bible institute. The students at the college came from a lot of the "stan" countries because they could study the Bible here without getting a visa, therefore their country didn't know what they were doing in Moldova. One girl sticks out in my mind. Gulia was in my small group that week. She spoke very little English and so we had to have one of the guy students translate, unfortunately his English wasn't the best either. Sweet girl, but with the langauge barrier, we had a hard time communicating.

Later, I found out that Gulia's father had promised her to be married to a muslim man. She did not want to marry this man because she was a Christian, but her dad didn't give her much of a choice. She found out about the Bible Institute, and her dad deciced to let her go and in doing this, she did not have to marry this man. Double blessing in her life!

She expressed to me that she was not aloud to read the Bible in her country because it was illegial. The guy who translated for me told one of the other team guys about how easy it is to be a Christian in America. We can wear a mask when it is convenient. When it isn't convenient, we can take it off and do whatever we want to do.

In their country, once they say they are a Christian, they are marked and there is not turning back. Simoly reading their Bible is enough to get them killed. What masks am I hiding behind today that make my Christian testimony null and void? I need to work on living my Christian life 100% of the time, even when it may cost me.

I am thankful for the freedoms that I have been given, but I also need to work on not taking those freedoms for granted.