‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬ —For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Today we celebrate our independence. On July 4, 1776 the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The document written by Thomas Jefferson went through an editing process. There were 86 changes made to the original writing. We started celebrating this day annually after the first public reading where bells were rung and music was played.

Deborah, Ray, and I live in South Carolina. Many of our family and friends like to celebrate on the river. The elephant ear plant thrives near standing water. Notice that they are heart shaped and they dip down to the water. Most are a vibrant green and cascade along the riverbanks. Notice that this particular leaf has started to turn yellow. Like this plant, we are all imperfect people in need of God’s love.

We get to live out our edited lives, blessed that through God’s Grace we can keep writing our story. Thank you to our men and women who have served and continue to serve our country so that we can live in freedom.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for the freedom You give us through Your grace. Thank You for our independence and for the men and women who serve to keep our freedom. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.