Freedom, like God's plan for us, is no accident

Fireworks, barbecue and parades are some of the makings of Fourth of July celebrations.

This holiday weekend, friends and family will gather to celebrate the bravery of men and women who more than 200 years ago declared separation while embracing the sacrifices of freedom's cause.

They were endowed to rule their own selves, their own townships and their own nation in their best interest.

History has recorded them as revolutionaries. Their own journals reflect an understanding that by many at home and abroad they would be viewed as traitors.

The rewards of independence superseded the great risks. Freedom's calling diminished all threats of demise. Death may become an option, but failure would not.

A preschool class was preparing to celebrate the Fourth of July. In the middle of the lesson the teacher told her students, "We live in a great country. One of the things we should be happy about is that in this country we are free."

A little boy came rushing up to her from the back of the room. With his hands on his hips he said very loudly, "I'm not free. I'm 4."

This 4-year-old understood and felt his freedom more than many around the globe.

The poetic declaration of Genesis 1 demonstrates freedom: "God created man in his own image, in his image he created him; male and female he created them."

Independence begins with creation. Your life and mine is not an accident. You have been created, designed to reflect the image God.

My wife and I have been blessed with a large family. Frequently, often by strangers inquiring of our most intimate details, we are asked if any of our children were "an accident."

Our response is a sharp "No! There were some surprises but no accidents."

Accident by definition is an undesirable, unintentional and unwanted thing or event.

God did not create by accident but by design.

Freedom and her causes rest in a foundational understanding that there is purpose and intention to the life in which we live.

Freedom crosses all borders and dismisses lines of latitude and longitude in the design that all men and all women of every ethnic heritage hold intrinsic value purely because they echo their creator.

Intentionality, purpose and value have been grafted into your deepest being.

Rob Hurtgen is a husband, father, minister and writer. Read more from him at www.robhurtgen.wordpress.com.