A Time for Gratitude and Hope: Honoring Liberty and Pressing Onward
By KrisAnne Hall, JD KrisAnneHall.com
In a time when struggles persist and challenges seem insurmountable, it is more important than ever to reflect on the gift of liberty—a gift purchased through sacrifice, safeguarded by courage, and rooted in hope. Many have spent this year tirelessly fighting to protect America’s principles, ensuring the legacy of freedom remains intact for generations yet to come. Let us not grow weary in this vital work but instead find strength in gratitude and assurance in the lessons of history.
Our nation’s history is replete with the stories of men and women who gave everything for the cause of liberty. Over centuries of our Founders’ British history the principles of Liberty were forged through sacrifice. These lessons taught our founders to stand firm and confident, knowing that when liberty is defended with resolve, victory is assured. Patrick Henry captured this certainty, declaring:
“I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know no way to judge the future but by the past.”
This lamp of experience, combined with an unshakable faith in a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, fortified the resolve of our founders. Henry reminded us:
“We shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.”
Benjamin Franklin echoed this conviction during the Constitutional Convention:
“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”
These assurances emboldened the founders to pledge their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor, knowing that liberty is a gift from God. As Thomas Jefferson warned:
“Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from God?”
The Legacy of Sacrifice
The story of America is written in the sacrifices of its people—men and women, famous and forgotten, who gave their lives, livelihoods, and dreams so future generations could live in freedom. Crispus Attucks, the first to die in the cause of independence; Mercy Otis Warren, whose pen inspired resistance; and countless others like Betty Zane, Ned Hector, and Phyllis Wheatley, each played vital roles in shaping our nation.
These sacrifices remind us that liberty is not simply inherited—it must be cherished, protected, and passed on. Even in times of great despair, the promise of liberty has kindled hope. During one of the darkest periods of American history, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow found himself overwhelmed by grief, war, and personal loss. Yet, on Christmas Day in 1865, he penned these powerful words:
“Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: ‘God is not dead; nor doth he sleep! The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men!’”
Longfellow’s awakening from despair reminds us that hope is never lost. The principles of liberty endure, not because they are easy or convenient, but because they are righteous.
Pressing On with Gratitude and Hope
Today, we remain stewards of a nation founded on the belief that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. This belief has made America a beacon of liberty, equality, and opportunity—a light on a hill for the world to see.
With this legacy comes the responsibility to secure liberty for generations yet unborn. We must not allow apathy, revisionism, or despair to extinguish the flame of freedom. As history has shown, when we stand united, guided by the lamp of experience and the assurance of God’s promises, victory is inevitable.
Let us give thanks for the sacrifices of those who came before us. Let us teach their stories to our children, honoring the courage of figures like Crispus Attucks, Mercy Otis Warren, and Patrick Henry. Most importantly, let us press on with hope, knowing that liberty is both our birthright and our duty.
The words of Patrick Henry ring as true today as they did centuries ago:
“The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.”
May we continue to protect and cherish the gift of liberty, never wearying in the good work of securing it for all.
Amen, amen, and amen.