Every year on this day, I’m captivated by this thought, “The Founding Fathers didn’t know how it would all end, but they sent the Declaration anyway.” Think about that for a moment. Their words equaled treason in the eyes of the most powerful bully in their day, and he would most certainly respond with brutal force. And locally, many of the elite and powerful lobbied against it to maintain “status quo”.

It reminds me of Bible stories where people of God did what they knew was right without knowing the future; such as the Hebrews in the furnace, Daniel among the lions, or David facing Goliath. They didn’t know the outcome beforehand. I’m sure there was a measure of fear in each one, but they trusted the Lord and did what they knew was right.

In our day, the political bullies have gotten louder and bolder. Some are trying to silence Christian voices with the “separation of church and state” argument, but their understanding of history is fundamentally flawed. The Founders were men of faith and their Declaration reflects it. Liberty is endowed by God, not a benevolent ruler or group. So today as we celebrate, I’m thankful for those who did what was right in the face of bullies, and I pray I can do the same in my day.