Picnics, fireworks, barbecues—most people celebrate the 4th of July this way. But it’s an invitation to much more: the liberation of the human spirit.
I have a copy of the Declaration of Independence on the wall beside my desk. On July 4, 1776 something almost unbelievable happened. By signing this document, 56 courageous individuals pledged their "lives, [their] fortunes, and [their] sacred honour" to an ideal, a new vision of government, to something that had never been done before. Yet they were willing to hazard all they had to reach for this invisible ideal and make it a reality.
Freedom requires the vision and moral courage to follow our dreams. Today what would you like to declare your independence from? It can be personal or political--an unproductive habit, a limiting belief, incessant self-criticism, violence, injustice, or fear that is holding you back from your dreams.
Today, I invite you to embrace the invitation to declare your independence, to summon the courage to follow your dreams. For as we do so, we can bring new hope and light to the world.
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