On Freedom

Someone once said, “Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.” As we celebrate Independence Day, in-between the barbeques and the trips to the beach, we should pause to reflect on the blessings that come from living in a nation where we enjoy so many freedoms. We should respectfully reflect on the price that so many have paid for that freedom. We should express our appreciation for those that have given the ultimate price by putting their lives in harm’s way to defend the freedom we many times take for granted. We should also take a moment to convey our feelings of gratitude to God for these freedoms, and pray for the courage and safety for those who continue to defend the freedoms we enjoy. All people beneath the canopy of freedom have the chance for something better – and that chance is worth any price.

The grounds of the war in heaven were established over this same liberty – freedom. The potential to become more like our Father in Heaven could only come through the free exercise of agency. The idea: “With great power comes great responsibility” is a familiar one. There may not be any greater power than the power that comes from freedom. Perhaps that’s the reason why the war for the souls of men which started so long ago, rages on today, and will continue until the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sometimes we may incorrectly believe God is uncaring or callous for allowing calamities, catastrophes, disasters, and tragedies. Perhaps His perfect love and greater purpose are veiled in the allowance of diversities. Because it is only there that the tests of life and the value of agency can be fully appreciated. Intermittent interventions from God would diminish our agency, short-circuit the test, and take away from the greater objectives that are only achieved through genuine freedom. If merely partial agency were granted, much of the purpose of life would be nullified.

Referring to the trials of life Elder Boyd K. Packer said this: “All are part of the test, and there is more equality in this testing than sometimes we suspect.” Without unrestricted freedom, we would never have the opportunities for personal growth, to develop faith, to gain the wisdom from trusting God, and to experience the test of life in the fairest of conditions.

May we be evermore thankful for the freedoms we enjoy in this great nation, not just on Independence Day, but every day. And may we seek to better understand the value of the gift of agency that God has so brilliantly infused into the test of life and the plan of happiness. May your Independence Day be safe and happy. And may God continue to bless America.

Wm. Calvin Hughes

July 4, 2011