250 Years of Freedom, Law, Responsibility and Love

 "Freedom is not sustained by monuments alone. It is sustained by hearts willing to heal, forgive, and serve." 

Dear Reader, 

As our nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, I find myself reflecting on the meaning of freedom. 

The founders of America declared political independence from a distant king. Their courage gave birth to a nation founded upon the belief that people possess God-given rights and the ability to govern themselves. 

Yet after 250 years, I believe one question remains: 

What does it truly mean to be free? 

Three modern writers offer insights worth considering. 

• "If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable." — Louis D. Brandeis 
• "Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses." — George Washington Carver 
• "Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold."  — Zelda Fitzgerald 

At first glance these statements appear unrelated. Yet together they reveal three pillars upon which lasting freedom rests: law, responsibility, and love. 

Brandeis reminds us that freedom without law eventually becomes disorder. Throughout scripture, God provides commandments not to limit His children but to protect and guide them. The most enduring laws are those rooted in justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity. 

In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin taught that a righteous society is built upon service to God and service to one another. Freedom flourishes when people willingly choose what is right rather than merely insisting upon their rights. 

George Washington Carver's observation speaks directly to my experience in recovery. 

One of the great discoveries of Alcoholics Anonymous is that excuses rarely solve problems. Blaming others, blaming circumstances, or blaming the past may provide temporary comfort, but they do not create lasting change. 

Recovery begins when we become willing to say, "What is my part?" 

Freedom requires responsibility.  The alcoholic seeks freedom from alcohol. The fearful seek freedom from anxiety. The resentful seek freedom from anger. Yet freedom is rarely found by changing everyone around us. More often it is found by allowing God to change what is within us. 

The Book of Mormon teaches that "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass." Real freedom often grows from small daily acts of honesty, humility, and willingness. 

But law and responsibility are not the destination. They are the pathway. The destination is love. 

This brings me to Zelda Fitzgerald's beautiful observation: "Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold."  

I believe this is one of the great miracles of life. The human heart has an astonishing capacity to expand. 

• It can recover from disappointment. 
• It can forgive injuries once thought unforgivable. 
• It can learn compassion through suffering. 
• It can discover gratitude in circumstances once considered impossible. 

The prophet Moroni taught that charity is the pure love of Christ. As that love grows within us, our hearts become larger than our fears, larger than our resentments, and larger than our limitations. 

Perhaps this is the highest purpose of freedom. Not simply the freedom to do as we please. But the freedom to become what God intends us to be. 

"For 250 years, generations of Americans have labored, sacrificed, and sometimes suffered to preserve these freedoms. Their legacy invites us to consider how we will use the freedoms entrusted to us." 

• Can we respect laws worthy of respect? 
• Can we stop making excuses and accept responsibility for our choices? 
• Can we allow our hearts to grow beyond what we once believed possible? 

Political freedom may begin with a declaration.  Spiritual freedom begins with a decision. 

A decision to live honorably, take responsibility, and allow God to enlarge our hearts through faith, service, and love. 

For nobody—not even poets—has yet measured what the human heart can hold.  Nor has anyone fully measured what God can do with a willing soul. 

🙏🏻🧘‍♂️💕🤗☮️ 

 

Divine Love Proceeds Divine Change

                         

Dear Reader,  

Have you ever asked yourself, "When will I be worthy of being loved for who I am?" 

 

I thought of this today while reading Alan Cohen’s words: “If you simply love yourself, just as you are, right where you are, you will become an unstoppable force for healing and transformation.” 

 

Cohen’s message overturns a self-defeating belief many of us carry. He suggests that healing begins when we honestly acknowledge where we are and say, "This is who I am today, and I am still worthy of love." 

 

Through recovery and by letting a loving God guide my life, I have learned that I am not alone in becoming the person God intends me to be. It begins with a willingness to change, continues with actions that support that change, and grows through accepting those changes as gifts from God—known in recovery as a "Higher Power." 

 

Ironically, acceptance loosens the hardened soil of self-condemnation and allows seeds of faith, hope, and healing to grow in spiritual sunlight. 

 

In recovery, this transformation may feel slow. Still, we should remember: "We are not saints. The point is that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines." Recovery does not begin with perfection. It begins with telling the truth about ourselves and discovering that we are still loved by God and by others. 

 

The Gospel declares: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." — Matthew 11:28   

Notice that Christ does not say, "Come when you have fixed yourself." 

He simply says, "Come." 

The woman caught in adultery, Zacchaeus, and Peter after denying Christ were all accepted before they were transformed. 

 

Divine love precedes divine change. 

 

Sadly, many alcoholics spend years fighting themselves. Real change often begins when they stop resisting and start accepting reality. As the Big Book says, "Acceptance is the answer." 

Acceptance is not surrendering to our defects; it is surrendering to the truth. 

 

Scripture reminds us that we are not meant to appear fully formed like a blossom. We begin as seedlings, then grow, bud, and slowly unfold into full bloom. 

God’s view of the garden is much the same. We begin by admitting our powerlessness and the unmanageability of our lives. We learn acceptance, practice spiritual principles, and gradually blossom into the people God created us to be. 

 

We are not seedlings because God loves us less than the blossom. We are seedlings because growth is part of His plan. 

The moment we stop insisting that we must be different before we are worthy of love, we discover the power that helps us change. 

Divine love precedes divine change. 

🙏🏻🧘‍♂️💕🤗☮️