Photo and Commentary ©2023 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Having the 4th of July come and go made me ponder the freedom we have in this country. I know (speaking for myself) how easy it is to take a lot of what we have for granted. We know from our history lessons that freedom is one of the biggest reasons the country was founded on to begin with. People wanted to peel away from the laws, rules, and taxes by the British government. Those brave people set off to a new land, in order to establish and create their own government. Obviously, a lot had to happen to give us the freedom we enjoy today.
The image I have included (as many of you know) is a symbol of our nation’s freedom – the Bald eagle. As you can see (hopefully, because it’s not a great “Robert Howson shot”) a proud parent watches from above, down on one of their offspring still in the nest. We were told there are two of the young ones in the nest, but I was only able to capture the one that wanted to poke its head above the top of the nest.
This symbol of power and greatness can be found on US money, US government logos, presidential flag and many other US related items.
When we think of TRUE freedom, not just from a government but from sin itself, we know that reminder isn’t about a bird – instead it’s about the Creator of all the birds. Jesus came to this earth and paid the ultimate sacrifice – His death – so we could accept the gift of eternal life. A life without sin. A life without corruption. A life with our Father. That is the freedom we all want.
While I am amazed and thankful (we all should be) that we are able to worship without persecution because of what this countries’ forefathers did for us, long ago, I am even more amazed and thankful for what Jesus did for us on the cross. That symbol is what we all should keep in our hearts.
This particular nest is along the Colorado River. It was one of the sites I was able to capture during our short train adventure from Moab, Utah, to Denver, Colorado.