So this weekend is the annual celebration of America’s independence. It is the weekend where billions of dollars worth of fireworks are sent flying into the air for momentary amusement. It is the weekend full of extravagant displays intended to celebrate freedom. It is a weekend of drinking and barbecuing and hanging out with friends and family. We’re celebrating our freedom! Why shouldn’t we have fun with excessive displays and beautiful explosions?

Seriously? We celebrate our freedom every single day. We exercise our rights over minuscule things. We take advantage of our rights and we celebrate our American pride all year long.

While we are standing around oohing and awing at our hard earned money dissipating in the sky, we are distracted from the many nations around the world still longing for liberation. We are distracted from our freedom to help and our freedom to pray. Shouldn’t a realization of our great freedom lead to recognition of others' oppression? What kind of freedom are we celebrating?

Our freedom is definitely valuable, but do we understand or even consider anymore what it would be like not to be free? Can we even comprehend this, or have we been free so long that the thought never even crosses our mind? I’m not saying this to point fingers or condemn people, because I am guilty of it too. I love my country and the freedom I have, but do I even know anymore what I am free from? Do any of us?

One freedom that I am extremely grateful for is the freedom of prayer. We are free to pray for the oppressed and reach out to help them! Why do we not take more advantage of this freedom? Why are we so much more concerned with our rights rather than the rights of all mankind?

Independence is becoming such a selfish word. It seems that most of us exercise our independence by focusing on ourselves as individuals rather than on those around us. Are we seriously about to spend a weekend celebrating selfishness? Have we confused the two terms completely?

I'm not going to say that the fireworks aren't fun and enjoyable, but maybe instead of focusing on projecting explosives into the sky, we should be reflecting on what our freedom means.

I would like to challenge all of us to use our independence to pray for those without it. Pray for the oppressed. Look for those who are needy and welcome them in.

One of the big topics in politics right now is that of refugees and whether or not we should allow them into our country. Wasn’t America founded on the idea of freedom for all? We all came here from somewhere else, so who are we to refuse help to someone seeking refuge from oppression? How can we celebrate our freedom and independence and then turn around and argue that it be denied to others?

You can come up with all of your arguments against refugees and how their coming to "our" country is going to affect the economy, but as we approach this celebratory weekend, I ask you to consider re-evaluating your perception of freedom. You are beyond blessed to have the freedoms you do. So maybe this Independence Day, we should make use of our time off to really appreciate what we have. And maybe, just maybe, we should be more welcoming and sensitive to those who crave any kind of freedom offered to them, and to those who have not been so well-acquainted with freedom for the entirety of their lives.

Our ancestors fought for the freedom of all, not the freedom of the few. That is the independence we should be celebrating and trying to spread. As you continue to celebrate your independence year-round, don’t let your freedom end with you.