Growing up, I always loved the fourth of July. We had a neighbor Jerry Brown who was a semi-truck driver. He would buy fireworks from all over the south, even the ones deemed "illegal" in Kentucky. He would put on quite a show for the neighborhood kids. Other years, we'd pile in the back of our neighbor's pick-up truck (it was legal back then) and ride to see a local firework show.Even now, our family goes to a little tent in a parking lot of a local store and has a good time buying a few fun fireworks.
Why all the fireworks?
To celebrate the birthday of the United States of America. That is what we told our children yesterday.
However, there was so much more on my heart, more than I can share with children so young. The stories of people, real people, people living and dying today even as I write this blog post.
Like Monica Musa, of Nigeria. Her husband was killed by Muslims for being a Christian. His body was chopped into many pieces and burned with his Bible in the center of town. Or Hajara Magaji, who awake to the voices of folks outside her window saying, " we want to let you know that today you and your children will be killed." She and two of her six children escaped. The others were beaten and burned, along with 22 neighbors...for being Chrisians.
In India, in the past 5 years Hindus have beaten or killed more Christians and more houses and churches burned than in all other courntries of the world combined.
What about Colombia? Dora and Ferley Lilia were recently executed outside the small rural school where they were schoolteachers. The atheist FARC guerillas are radically opposed to Christianity-it makes it harder to convert young boys into being guerillas. So they seek to kill them all. This story is close to home because they were excuted in front of their three children who were hiding in the woods. Their middle child is Lydia, she if 4 years old.
Christianah Oluwasesin was a schoolteacher in Nigeria. She was giving a final exam at a girls school. After collecting all the backpacks to prevent cheating, a girl began to scream because there was a Quran inside and it had now been desacrated for being touched by a Christian...within minutes an angry mob had gathered outside and beat her to death with clubs.
In Pakistan and many other countries, Shariah law is the rule of the land. This Islamic law permits violence against Christians.
In Jordan, Rana and her husband both accepted Christ as her Savior...she was recently stabbed with a knife and her skull was crushed with a stone...by her father.
In China, it is illegal to hold Sunday School and parents are arrested for teaching their own children about the Lord. Or children can be removed from the home and placed in a state facility.
There are similar stories from Sri Lankan, North Korea, Cuba, Burma and so many other countries. Each month as I read my Voice of the Martyrs (www.persecution.com) magazine I am in tears thankful that I live in America.
So why all the fireworks?
My dad wore a shirt yesterday that read, "American by birth, Christian by the grace of God."
Being an American certainly does not make me a Christian. Only by grace have I been saved, through faith, it is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8).
However, being an American allows me the freedom to express my gratitude to the Lord for His finished work of salvation.
For me the fireworks represent the freedom that I have to teach Sunday School (which I did today), to read the Bible and talk about Jesus with my children (which I did last night), to worship corporately in a church (which I did this morning), to talk openly about Christ (well, maybe not in our public school system-we may be fired for it but not beaten to death in the middle of the street).
I wake up to my neighbors irritating dog barking-not to the chants of my neighbors that my children and I will be killed. Lydia will probably never see me excuted for my faith in Christ. Steve will probably never be murdered and mutilated by our police for being a Christian.
This is why "all the fireworks"!
