I'm Thankful for Freedom

Each day until Thanksgiving, Everyday Truth is looking at a different reason to be thankful in a family devotional. Use these devotionals with your kids to help keep your family focused on giving thanks. If you missed the introductory post, check it out here for directions on creating a "Thanksgiving wall." When you're done with the devotional head on over to the Everyday Truth Facebook page and join in the discussion of why we're thankful for our freedom.

I bet you got up this morning, picked out your own clothes and had a choice of cereals for breakfast. You probably decided whether or not to wear a coat to school. You may have chosen what hairstyle you wanted today. When you got to school, you probably talked to some of the people you have chosen to be friends with. At lunch you probably chose whether to eat all or part of your lunch.

On your way to school, did anyone stop your car and tell you you couldn't go to school? When you got to school did anyone tell you who to talk to or what to say? Probably not.

You had choices this morning because we live in a free country. Many people in the world do not. In some countries only kids whose families have enough money are allowed to go to school. In some places, girls aren't allowed to go to school. In some countries, you don't have a choice about what you want to be when you grow up; you have to do what the government tells you to. And in some parts of the world, it's a crime to talk about God.

Many of us have never lived in a place where we don't have freedom. We take it for granted. And we shouldn't. Men and women throughout history have died protecting our right to be free. Those soldiers don't know most of the people they are protecting. They serve so we can live in freedom. John 15:13 says "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." Soldiers do that every day. They put their lives on the line in dangerous places so we can live in freedom.

Don't take your freedom for granted. Be thankful for it. Today is Veteran's Day. It's the day we honor the men and women who have served in the military. We take a moment to be grateful for the sacrifices they have made to keep our country free.

Take a minute today to seek out a veteran, someone who was once in the military. Tell them how thankful you are that they chose to protect our country. Make them a card or bake them some cookies.

Pray and thank God for the sacrifices others have made so you can live in a free country. Write on your Thanksgiving wall one thing that you are thankful you can do because you live in a place where freedom is a right.

Be grateful for freedom because it isn't free. It costs brave men and women their lives.