The Founder of His Freedom

June 28, 2006

I wrote this poem as a tribute to my Great-Uncle Spencer, my grandpa’s youngest brother. Uncle Spencer died in June 2006 of myelodisplastic syndrome, which is a disease related to leukemia where the bone marrow stops producing blood cells. He had a bone marrow transplant, which prolonged his life, but finally God took him home. It occurred to me that it happened shortly before Independence Day. What an Independence Day he must have had, celebrating with our nation’s founding fathers!

He lived in a nation founded on faith
Founded by men with God’s love in their hearts
And God’s freedom in their souls
He watched the fireworks each year
Telling of the freedom they bought
And of the sacrifices they made
That this nation might be free

Now he can enjoy Independence Day
With the founders of our nation’s freedom
What better way to celebrate
Than to feast with the men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

The illness took its toll
While his family watched and prayed
His dependence on the doctors and medicine grew
As God graciously prolonged his life
And the glimmer of freedom from the sickness grew
Until the day God set him free

This is his Independence Day
Forever free from the pain that tormented him
Now he can worship at the feet
Of the great Founder of his freedom

One day he gave his life to God
To the One who bought our freedom
And with His blood signed the ultimate Declaration of Independence from sin and death

Now he can stand alongside
The founders of our nation’s freedom
And bow before the great Founder of our freedom in Christ!
Who needs fireworks
When you can run into the dazzling brilliance
And with our founding fathers
Fall and worship our great Founding Father, the Founder of all our freedom?