Sheila Sims Iding
"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. "
Many of us know the words to God Bless America but not all of us realize the above words are the introductory verse to that special song…that special prayer. There may be other things we don’t realize about this great land. As Tim comes back and forth from his home in China, he helps me understand some of the freedoms we may have taken for granted in our homeland.
When a communist country becomes your home, you start to realize all the freedom and liberty you had in your birth home.
You realize the “freedom” in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of press, freedom of choice…freedom pure freedom. If you live in a communist country you begin to embrace the power of the word “freedom.”
In America…the land of the free…you can, and do, say whatever you want about the government. In China, you can, and will, be arrested for it.
In America you are free to go to any church you want at anytime. In China you have to be more careful. And if you are an American teaching in a seminary in China you say you are teaching “English” because you shouldn’t be teaching “Biblical Studies”. And when you teach there may be a student in your class who is not a student…he is a spy just because you are an American teaching in China. And every thing you teach is under severe scrutiny. You better get it right by communist regulated standards or you can be arrested. You can be sent home. End of “teaching”. End of mission.
Discussing religion is tricky no matter what country you live in, but at least you can discuss it. If you are a missionary in China…you are not a missionary. You are not a theologian. You are a teacher. And you do not preach about God or Jesus or the Bible. You live your life in a way that others will ask about your philosophy, the cross your wear or your regular church visits…and you are then “free” to mention God. The curious Chinese student or friend initiates the true mission work. Their insightful questions are guided by the Holy Spirit…and they don’t even know it yet. That part is your true mission.
Discussing politics is also a fine line no matter the borderline of the country. However, at least in America you can discuss politics with your family and friends. You can talk about the uprising in Tiananmen Square and not have people stare blankly at you and correct you by telling you there never was a uprising there. The government in America may hide some things…but in China they try to hide all things…including a part of history we all know about clear across the big pond.
If you have a lung disease, or just want to breathe clean air, in America you can get a pollution rating and believe it and adjust your day accordingly. In China it is not “pollution”. It is “fog”. And even in some of the most polluted cities there, the air is always fine, but some days are more “foggy” than others.
Our health system may need fixing, but if there is a disease outbreak here, God forbid, we can get accurate numbers and helpful guidance from our government. In a communist country where the government can release, adjust and hide whatever they want, you can never be sure about bird flu or plagues or diseases. You can never be sure about numbers reported or information given. For a communist government, their reputation is more important than your health.
We use freedom of communication everyday that we are on facebook. We turn on our computer and click on fb for no cost, no worry, no threat. We sign on for “free”. Every day. Several times every day. In China there is no fb. You have to find a proxy country, pay a proxy fee and stream your fb through that path…until the China government finds it and cuts it off. Then you try to proxy again just to have the freedom of communication. Knowing all along the government is reading your writings…reading your blog…and spying on your every word.
Many Americans love to travel and the world is at their footsteps. If you have the money and the desire your passport will take you anywhere. Chinese people do not have that freedom. The government tells them where and when they can travel…and if they can even travel. And…many times…you may have the money, the desire and the passport but not the government’s permission. You are a prisoner in your own country.
Research shows that most all college students in America change their major at some point. Chinese students don’t have that freedom. The government tells you what your college major will be. Tim’s friend who works in an office has a passion for photography. A passion that she is not free to realize. Some of his friends studying nursing have no desire to be a nurse. The government told them that is what they will be. Freedom to pick our major…did we even realize that it is a true freedom?
We send mail everyday. For special occasions, for special reasons, for important reasons…we send packages. There may be a delay or a broken box or a bigger fee than we had hoped but there are packages. In China you don’t dare send a package. Tim’s medicine that he needs to stay healthy cannot be sent to China. It cannot be sent to a communist country. The government is free to open and discard any box they please. The medicine is too expensive and too valuable for his health to be at the mercy of a communist government and their whim to take packages and it’s important life-giving contents.
So we can sit and discuss all that is wrong with our country…all that frustrates us…all that we wish was different. But that s the point. We are free to do that. And we free to teach in a classroom and only be worried about a principal’s observation for evaluation purposes. We never have to worry about a spy or our mission. We are free to have fb and blogs and communication and not worry about someone watching every word. We are free to send packages and find out about health issues. We are free to worship God and share that worship with others and not worry about the person seated in our class who asks all the questions about Christianity. We don’t have to worry if his heart is turning toward God or the information will turn you in. We are Americans. We are free to worship, to write, to speak, to travel, to choose. That is the whole point that is made clearer by Tim’s work in China. WE are free.
So today when we celebrate our country’s independence…today we reflect on the soldiers who gave us these freedoms…today when we feel a little pride muster up in our hearts when we hear God Bless America…I hope you have new appreciation for the “freedoms” we are blessed with. Tim said the first time he came home from China after being there for a year, the National Anthem had new meaning for him. I hope it has new meaning for you too. I hope the next time you sing the National Anthem I hope your heart will be enveloped in the words “…and the land of the free”. God bless America.