‘What are you doing for others?’

OPINION:

• These are my personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Agriculture or the U.S. government.

We are living in a beautiful time in America, especially as we celebrate our 250th birthday as a nation. America is truly exceptional. There is nowhere in the world where greater freedoms are found, and it is all by God’s grace on us as a people.

There are endless opportunities for every American to achieve the American Dream creating businesses, rising out of poverty into homeownership, building families, growing in careers. These opportunities are not merely for the wealthy or powerful; they are for all Americans. This freedom to pursue our dreams unifies us, motivates us and puts the fire beneath our feet to take risks and aim high.

We have God to thank for these freedoms we enjoy and yet too often forget just how blessed we are. My uncle Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said it best: “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

As Americans, we have this great gift of freedom that only comes from our Maker; however, freedom comes with a warning. Galatians 5:13 says, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

If we have great freedoms but fail to serve our brothers and sisters, we have missed the point of God’s gift. Society tells us to use our freedoms to serve self above serving others. Our Lord calls us to challenge this narrative and use our freedoms in service to others. My uncle did this so well, and he instilled this fervent love for service in both me and my family. He famously said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ’What are you doing for others?’”

When we stand before God when our lives on this earth are complete, how will you say you used your freedoms? Did you serve yourself, or were your eyes open and hands outstretched to see and meet needs right where you are? To whom will you extend compassion? Whose shoes will you walk in until needs are met in love?

To serve others well in a culture that places value on status instead of humility, one must focus on how we are the same. We all bleed the same. We are made in the same Image. Service to our fellow man brings forth unity as we affirm God’s image in every person we see and serve.

Christ set this example of servanthood when He washed the disciples’ feet in John 13. We must reject the cultural lie sold to us that true satisfaction and peace come from self-service or indulgence. Freedom is found in service, as our Savior has shown us time and time again.

Freedom is not something to be experienced by one ethnic community or one people. We are the human race one blood, from the womb to tomb and beyond. As you play at the park, enjoy long road trips and laugh with your children, may you remember that these opportunities to achieve the American Dream and our freedoms were not truly free; they came at a price.

God is the author of our freedom and died on a criminal’s cross to ensure that we could experience the freedom from sin. Our freedom from tyranny came at a price that continues to be paid so that the American Dream stays alive and well.

My question to you is this: With these great freedoms you have been gifted, who will you serve and how will you live? May you accept the gift of freedom Christ has extended and steward your American freedoms well, placing servanthood above self.

• Alveda C. King, Ph.D., serves as the senior advisor on Faith and Community Outreach for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the chair of the Center for the American Dream at America First Policy Institute. She is the daughter of the late slain civil rights activist Rev. A.D. King and the niece of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She is the founder of Speak for Life, fighting for the sanctity and dignity of all life from the womb to the tomb.