There’s a clear line of sight from the Marine Corps War Memorial to the US Capitol. It’s a stunning statue. But these bronze warriors are just a symbol of the real men and women who spilled their blood in defense of something greater than themselves, the dream of an America at her best. Their sacrifice makes them the sentinels of our freedom.
There’s been a lot of controversy over freedom lately. By definition, liberty is freedom from regulation. And it’s the first thing to come under fire when someone’s behavior doesn’t conform to our standards, when they aren’t doing things the way we think they should. “You do you” has quickly given way to “you’d better do what I think is best, or else.” You can see it in every angry attack.
While true liberty means freedom from external regulation, that doesn’t mean we should do whatever we want. Just because you’re allowed to do anything doesn’t mean everything you do is good (1 Corinthians 10:23). So often we’re too focused on protecting our own self-interests to pay much attention to how our actions impact others. And that’s when we do all kinds of harm, whether intentionally or not. It’s a sobering realization that the greater my individual freedom, the greater my responsibility to protect others from my selfishness.
I think we’ve forgotten something about freedom. When we protect the freedoms of others, we’re also protecting our own. When we stand up for those whose choices don’t match our own, we’re building a bulwark against the day when it’s our choices that come under fire. Our ability to choose to exercise or restrain our rights, as a result of our own free will, is the greatest measure of our liberty.
In the time to come, I hope we will not find that we have given away our liberties too easily. To do so is to dishonor those who gave up their lives in our defense. But it also does them no honor to use freedom as an excuse for lawlessness (1 Peter 2:16). The question is always, what do we do with the freedom that others have purchased on our behalf?
If my love for myself is greater than my love for my neighbor, then liberty will always be at risk. But where there are those who are willing to lay down their lives for others, true freedom is possible.
My uncle is among those who laid down his life. He was killed in Vietnam, long before I was born. I have no idea what he would say about our current situation. But I believe his sacrifice demands an account – do I love others whenever I can to the best of my ability?
It’s really love that matters in the end. Love that is not so much focused on being right or having all the answers, but love that seeks the best interests of others. Love like that will show us the way forward.
Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 1 Corinthians 10:24 ESV