“INDEPENDENCE”
Dearest Protesters,
As the child of a retired Master Gunnery Sergeant in the Marine Corps and as a government contractor I have experienced a lot of seasons serving this great country called The United States of America. I have come to realize that not everyone is a supporter of the military or those that represent it.
What I do know is that there are a lot of men and women out there that have willingly put their lives on the line both in battle and on the homestead to give this country the freedoms that are celebrated today. Without those freedoms we wouldn’t have the opportunity to speak freely and protest, engage in our religion of choice or have the opportunities to vote our leaders into place. These leaders carry the weight of our country on their shoulders. There are many things I’m sure we each disagree with among multiple tiers of government. We each have the opportunity and freedom to vote and hopefully each voter gets educated before they chase after unreasonable offers made by candidates that will represent them. If you get outvoted, there is no sense in making matters worse… just endure the season and use your freedoms to support another candidate in future elections.
There are many children born that lived without a parent for periods of time, many spouses that spent seasons alone and many soldiers who never returned home because they were defending our freedom and independence. If you don’t agree with what your elected leaders engage in, please don’t take it out on the soldiers that are just following orders under contract. They are here to defend you whether they are on a ship, in a plane, on the front line, behind a desk, working in the shop or just trying to be a good family member to those they often leave behind.
John 14:15 “If you love me, you’ll obey what I command”.
Romans 13:1 “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
1 Peter 2:13-17 “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.”
Sometimes this can get confusing when you consider some political items that seem to be against Biblical principles. My suggestion is to take the Gospel as the ultimate authority, government authorities secondary and remember that each man is accountable for his or her actions. For the gray areas, I challenge you to pray and follow your personal convictions but don’t push them on others. In your efforts to prove a point, don’t become the same sinner that you persecute!
Go hug a soldier and say thanks!
I personally want to thank Michael David Thorsby Sr. for his service to our country. Our freedom was worth the sacrifice.