How to intentionally point to God this Independence Day

Reclaiming 4th of July PDF We are a week away from Independence Day. We’re making plans, prepping for parades, and grocery shopping for the perfect BBQ. But in all of our plans how can we not only remind our kids WHAT we celebrate, but also the biblical foundations our nation was built on?

Take the Time to read through the Declaration of Independence

It is wordy and with a lot of fancy wording, but have your kids listen for how many times God is mentioned.

Have them list three things that they felt King George was doing wrong and why it was wrong.

The Declaration is such a rich document and written so beautifully it’s worth spending time with.

Find the Text of the Declaration Here

Take a Look at some Coins

Pull out some coins and see if your kids can find the one phrase that all coins have in common.

Do you know what it is?

Every coin printed by our government has In God we Trust on them somewhere. How much faith did the founders of our government have to ensure that God was so much a part of our government that he is mentioned on the very money we use.

Take a look at what we wear:

We obviously wear red, white, and blue because they are the colors of the US Flag. But did you know these colors have meaning? The meaning of colors is a bit of a lost art, but I love what the words below represent and what they mean for our country.

Red While it’s easy to say that the red stands for the blood shed for those who stand for our national freedoms. We should always remember that freedom isn’t free, but I was encouraged to find the depth of the symbolism behind the color red in our flag. · Readiness to Sacrifice · Hardiness · Valor · Courage Blue Truthfully, I had no idea what blue stood for on our flag, so this was cool to discover the meaning of blue in our flag. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in Philadelphia on July 4th, 1975 · Vigilance · Perseverance · Justice White This color’s meaning is pretty common. Hence why Brides’ wear white, and kids at baptisms and first communions. But as believers white holds an even bigger significance because Jesus washed us white as snow. · Purity · Innocence How to teach this to our kids? Thankfully this doesn’t have to be complicated. But it does take time and intention. Print off a flag coloring sheet or a canvas to paint, and as your kids are working talk about the colors and what they mean. Walk through Bible verses on those deep words and pray these words for our country.

COURAGE 1 Corinthians 16:13 Joshua 1:9 Micha 6:8 Philippians 1:20-21

PERSEVERANCE 1 Chronicles 28:20 Hebrews 12:1 James 1:3

JUSTICE Deuteronomy 16:20 Psalms 33:5 Psalms 9:16 Hosea 12:6

PURITY Proverbs 15:26 1 Timothy 5:22 Titus 2:5 Matthew 5:8 Philippians 4:8 Psalms 51:10

Here is a PDF Coloring Sheet for you and your family as you celebrate rebellion and treason, no wait, I mean freedom and liberty.

Blessings and Safety this Holiday!