Happy Birthday Mr. Lincoln!

 

 

We were in Springfield visiting James's grandmother over the celebration of President Lincoln's 200th birthday. The girls and I headed downtown to hear a word from the (former) president. (I say former because our current president also made an appearance in the state capitol yesterday) A church next door to the Lincoln home was opened up to hear the speaker. "Mr. Lincoln" read to the kids, impressed upon them (and their teachers and parents) how important it was for them to read and be read to. He told stories of his youth and also a few from the Bible. It was encouraging that in this setting, full of grade school students, that God's name was freely mentioned. Then came Hariett Tubman, who was portrayed quite interestingly by a woman who commanded attention. She told of her slave beginnings, and how she helped her fellow slaves and her family escape to freedom on the Underground Railroad. This speaker gave this one word as the most important thing "Freedom." I tend to agree, though I doubt in the way she meant it. As I sat there, I thought about how true it was, freedom is the most important thing, Freedom from the slavery of sin. My girls have been watching a video that tells the story of Pilgrims Progress, and for the first segment, they kept asking what Christian's "burden" was. They soon realized that the burden was sin. Christian was only able to lay down his burden when he gave it to the cross. In fact, this story had his burden literally fall of and roll into the tomb. In the same way, we can remember what Harriett Tubman had to say about the importance of Freedom, and how the most important freedom we have is the freedom we receive when our burden falls off at the cross.