“…and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Philippians 3:13-14 The Living Bible)
Thursday morning, I was reading selected pages from “Indiana’s African American Heritage: More Essays from Black History & Notes from 2007-2017,” A book edited by Wilma Gibbs Moore. Don’t let the dates in the title make you think this publication of the Indiana Historical Society Press only includes information for the decade noted. It goes back and looks at Black history from centuries ago, specifically related to Indiana. Admittedly, this book had been sitting on a table for months without me opening a page. It was there because the color of the book cover fit in with my color décor scheme. But Thursday, when I actually picked it up to see the work done by a woman who, like me, is a graduate of Crispus Attucks High School in Indiana, I could not put it down. Regardless of you generational classification or your age, it is worth reading.
I’m not done with it yet. I just got started, but I scanned through it enough to see the mentioning of my grade school, high school, university, the towns and cities I have either lived in or visited, and places that I was not familiar with and the history behind the existence of such places.
I could point out a lot of things, but the information that seemed to jump off the page to me was where free people of color often carried a Certificate of Freedom on their person to validate their status, prior to the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865. My Christian prism took over instantly and inspired me to think about the Certificates of Freedom believers were given at the time that they were baptized, subsequent to confessing the Lord Jesus as the Son of God who died on the cross and was risen from the grave.
The so-called family room at the lower level of our bi-level house has what I call walls of fame. On the walls of this room are all kinds of diplomas and degrees, awards and recognition plaques. The oldest diploma is my mother’s high school diploma from Central Colored High School in Louisville, Kentucky, and the newest one is the college degree of one of my granddaughters who is now working on her master’s degree in a very human science specialty field. I remember the smile on her face when she toured the family room and was delighted that she had “made the wall.” All of the wall-hangings bring back great memories, but there was only one Certificate of Freedom found. That one belonged to one of my sons who was baptized in 1991, and it attests to the fact that he is free indeed.
I wondered where my Certificate of Freedom, awarded in 1960 is stored. Do you know where your certificate is stashed, stored, or set out for display? Well, if you don’t you know in your heart, God knows, and others will see that you have been freed from the penalty, power, and eventually, the guaranteed freedom from the presence of sin.
This Saturday, let your Certificate of Freedom be read by all who see you! No legislation, no legalistic maneuvers, and no lost paper certificate can change the fact that you have been set free. Therefore, live like a free person! Notice, I did not say “Live like a free person today.” The admonition has not ended. It applies to every time that you are blessed to see a new day! In short, the admonition applies for the rest of your life.
Oh, here is the reminder you were looking for as you were reading. Don’t forget to make it to the assembly of the saints tomorrow. If they don’t sing the song, you can set there in quiet meditation before service begins, for you will be early, and you can think silently, “I’m free! Praise the Lord I’m free! No longer bound! No more chains holding me!” Be blessed!
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”(Galatians 5:1 NASB)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King