Walk with me. We are moving toward the sunset along the Reflecting Pool in my United States' national capital. We take a left turn to view the newly completed Korean War Memorial. As we enter this impressive memorial, we walk past the names of the countries that were involved in the war on our left, and on our right we see the life-like statues of the soldiers almost hauntingly placed in the open field. As we reach the end of the sidewalk near the fountain, we find these words carved in to the dark gray marble or granite wall: "Freedom Is Not Free." Leaving the memorial, we walk along the wall and see the faces of the men and women etched into the wall; and as we look closely at their faces, we see our reflection in the wall and are reminded that "Freedom Is Not Free."

With a serious and solemn mood, we leave the Korean Memorial making our way up the steps of the impressive Lincoln Memorial. Once we reach the top step, we are overwhelmed by the enormity of the statue of this great man, Abraham Lincoln, and the words from his Gettysburg Address. As we turn to descend the steps, we see in the distance the Washington Monument and the United States Capital; and we are reminded that: "Freedom Is Not Free."

We walk only a short distance from the Lincoln Memorial into the area where we get our first glimpse of the Wall, the Viet Nam Memorial. Carved there in the wall are the names of the thousands of men and women who lost their lives during the Viet Nam war. We watch as a husband and wife search through the thick book of names for the location of the name they had come to see. Once they find the name, he leans against the wall with one hand on the name and the other hand wipes the tears from his eyes.

We are moved with the reality that "Freedom Is Not Free." Leaving the Viet Nam Memorial, we walk along the street in the rain toward what is possibly the most famous building in the world: the White House. From the iron fence in front of the White House, we zoom our camera lens in for as tight of a shot as we can get in hopes of seeing someone important. What we see instead is a line of limousines and secret service vehicles. So, we make our way around to the East side where security officers line one of the gates on to the White House grounds. We pass by on our way to the back entrance; and as we do, we see the examining eyes of the throng of security personnel. Again we are reminded: "Freedom Is Not Free."

Now, take another walk with me. Up ahead of us is a man carrying a wooden cross. The blood from his brow and the bleeding marks on his back are proof that he has already endured a severe beating. Once he reaches the skull-shaped hill, we watch as he is nailed to the cross. He writhes in pain as he endures the suffering of the cross, the jeers from the crowd, and the weight of the sins of the world. As he takes his last breath, we are reminded: "Freedom Is Not Free."

"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's judgment." (Romans 5:6-9 NLT)

We are reminded!
Enjoy your freedom, it wasn’t free!