The cry for freedom has been shouted for centuries. I wonder if William Wallace, a Scottish knight who fought for Scotland’s Independence in the thirteenth century, ever had thoughts that he would someday be portrayed in an epic performance. His name became synonymous with freedom as his band of everyday men multiplied and took on the strongest army in the world at the time. Their zeal for freedom was at the forefront of their endeavor and at times it almost looked like he would win, but the odds were against him, along with a tainted ruling class who was beholding to the English government. In the end, this soldier for freedom, was tortured, drawn and quartered and his body parts were displayed across England as an example to the common man, never again to rock the imperial boat.

When Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke the words, “Let freedom ring,” our country was consumed with racism.  The call for freedom went unheeded for a long time and the people came together to raise the call again. Things began to change, but nothing would placate the past wrongs. Nothing would change what had been done for centuries. The memory of beatings, inhumane treatment, being viewed as animals or property rather than human beings could not be erased.

Today we hear the cry, “black lives matter,” “blue lives matter,”and “all lives matter” yet the problem of racism fills our streets with protests, acts of violence on both sides and more of a rift than there ever was between law enforcement and the common man. Now it seems that evil has replaced good and being part of any service vocation is frowned upon.

Respect for life is not limited to the black race.  We have problems with unborn lives not mattering.  There is concern for the homeless, the poor, our veterans, the aging.  Christianity is taking a huge hit  and the “church” has become an extension of society by giving in to popular social issues and looking for a place to be entertained rather than to be forgiven.

Strides were made in the last sixty years, but there still is much to be done for the equality of human life. Freedom never comes without a cost.  Thankfully I have a Savior who has immersed Himself in all the yuck of this world and taken it to the grave to be buried and forgiven.  Now there is true freedom – not because of what we’ve done, but what He did for us.

The answers to the world’s problems will probably never be solved. No matter what opinion you have, there will always be someone who opposes it. There will be differences in our thinking, our actions and our solutions will not come easy. Whatever we do in our lives will almost always be offensive to someone. There is nothing we can do about that, but we can have complete freedom in our hearts, knowing that God is using all of this for His purpose. He is in control and is also the One who never changes.