My favorite patriotic song is "God Bless America." It became my favorite in the weeks after September 11, 2001, when it was played on the radio over and over again.
"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. "
God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.
I remember driving in my car to run errands and seeing all the flags only half way up the poles and hearing that song play. Like everyone else in America, I got choked up thinking about this wonderful land in which I live. I love feeling of pride that I get when I think of the way that the Lord has blessed this land for centuries, and I am one of the lucky few who were born to live here. Every 4th of July, 3 fighter jets fly over our home on the way to the Stadium of Fire in Provo. It amazes me when I think about what those jets represent. That always chokes me up, too.
Here's are some great insights shared by our bishopric in our ward newsletter about freedom, in more of a spiritual sense.
Elder F. Enzio Bushe: "Freedom means the freedom to have matured to the full knowledge of our dangerously many responsibilities as a human being. We have learned that everything we do, and even say or think, has consequenses. We realize that too long we have believed that we were victims of circumstances."
It is obedience that leads to true freedom. The more we obey revealed truth, the more we become liberated. James. E. Faust stated, "In today's society, the difference between right and wrong is being obscured by loud, seductive voices calling for no restraints in human conduct. They advocate absolute freedom without regard to consequences. I state unequivocally that such behavior is the high road to personal destruction...Freedom and liberty are precious gifts that come to us when we are obedient to the laws of God and the whisperings of the spirit."
"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. "
God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.
I remember driving in my car to run errands and seeing all the flags only half way up the poles and hearing that song play. Like everyone else in America, I got choked up thinking about this wonderful land in which I live. I love feeling of pride that I get when I think of the way that the Lord has blessed this land for centuries, and I am one of the lucky few who were born to live here. Every 4th of July, 3 fighter jets fly over our home on the way to the Stadium of Fire in Provo. It amazes me when I think about what those jets represent. That always chokes me up, too.
Here's are some great insights shared by our bishopric in our ward newsletter about freedom, in more of a spiritual sense.
Elder F. Enzio Bushe: "Freedom means the freedom to have matured to the full knowledge of our dangerously many responsibilities as a human being. We have learned that everything we do, and even say or think, has consequenses. We realize that too long we have believed that we were victims of circumstances."
It is obedience that leads to true freedom. The more we obey revealed truth, the more we become liberated. James. E. Faust stated, "In today's society, the difference between right and wrong is being obscured by loud, seductive voices calling for no restraints in human conduct. They advocate absolute freedom without regard to consequences. I state unequivocally that such behavior is the high road to personal destruction...Freedom and liberty are precious gifts that come to us when we are obedient to the laws of God and the whisperings of the spirit."
Very true. I am so grateful for the freedom that I have when I put these promises to the test.
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