The Price is Freedom

The Price is Freedom

Good evening, everyone!  I just wanted to share with you this striking quote that I read this morning by Soviet premier Nikita S. Khrushchev (For those of you living in a Communist or socialist country, it is not my intention for this to be interpreted as being offensive):

            “We cannot expect Americans to jump from capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving Americans doses of socialism until they suddenly awake to find out they have Communism.” – Nikita S. Khrushchev

In light of that ideology, consider this quote from US President Theodore Roosevelt:

            “Americanism (American patriotism) means the virtues of courage, honor, justice, truth, sincerity, and hardihood- the virtues that made America.  The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love-of-soft-living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life.” – Theodore Roosevelt

And here’s the question I asked myself:  “Do I see myself in any of those five points?”

Do you?

I believe that these five points Roosevelt lists as destructive to America does not pertain only to America but to every country and nation in the world.  However, as Americans, are we unknowingly embracing subtle doses of socialism by adopting these five destructive behavioral and thought patterns until we will awake one day to find that we’ve spiraled downward into a vacuum of socialist ideology?  Are we unconsciously exchanging our freedoms for eventual Communism?

            As Charles B. Shuman put it, “The appeal of socialism is to human weakness- the desire to avoid responsibility and the craving for material gain.  It offers security as a substitute for opportunity, and the price is freedom.”

Something worth spending some time thinking about.

On a lighter note, the scene from my book Outlaw that I described in my post Falling into the Rain is now written and available for reading on The Avid Author (www.theavidauthor.blogspot.com).

Photo courtesy: www.123rf.com

 ~We’ve all heard of the phrase “pulling on her/ his heartstrings,” but heart-chords?  I was struggling to decide what to name my blog.  I wanted it to be a name that was both creative and meaningful.  As I pondered, my gaze fell upon my acoustic guitar where it stands in my bedroom, and the Lord reminded me that our hearts- our lives- are instruments.  They are constantly in song, but what melody our heart plays is each of our own decisions.  They can play a melody for praise or for entertainment.  A musician selects his songs according to his audience.  So do we.  Whether our audience is the world or the Lord, our song will be different.  This blog is designed to first, increase my awareness in finding God and His guidance in my every day and second, to share the music lessons He teaches me in tuning my heart to learn the chords of praise He longs to play on my heart-instrument.  Music is a powerful tool.  Use it for His glory.  “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3