Statue of liberty: a symbol of freedom for the nation

She stands atop America, looking down on the people below. They rush from place to place, never stopping, never seeing. Though the years pass by and the droughts and disasters come and go, though new presidents are elected and the economy fluctuates, she stands strong. She watches and waits for people to open their eyes. She is not the God of America—oh no—that was established long ago. From the beginning of the nation, to this day we are “ One Nation under God.” She understands that though she is the symbol of independence and freedom, her people did not gain freedom on their own, but only by God’s grace. She remembers George Washington declaring, “ It is impossible to rightly govern a country without God and the Bible.” Abraham Lincoln’s words echo in her ears, “ With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds.” She is the symbol of freedom for the nation. She is Lady Liberty.

She hears the desperation in the people’s voices as they lose all hope for their country. They say, “ I’m not optimistic about my nation’s future. Who can be at a time like this?” Day by day, she watches them give up and give in to the easy way, the direction that will never lead to victory. But still, she waits, because though all people may see is darkness, there is always light arising from the horizon.

Hope. The word puts a light in her soul. It’s something everyone craves. Still she wonders: what exactly is hope? While pondering the question, she recalls seeing hope carry Americans through, when times seemed hopeless. Lady Liberty decides that hope is a feeling of desire for something and confidence in the possibility of its fulfillment. It is joined by faith and love, it is the light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s the small voice inside the soul saying, “ Don’t give up” when everyone else quits. As Lady Liberty listens to her people, it is clear that many of them have started to give up hope because of the financial state that they are in. She realizes: these are the times they need hope the most. After all, “ Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”—Dale Carnegie.

A heartbreaking image flashes across her mind, as she remembers the horrifying screams coming from the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. On that dreadful day, a group of terrorists crashed two planes into the Twin Towers and one into the Pentagon, killing almost 3, 000 people. The people of America were devastated. It was a time where everyone was broken, and everything seemed hopeless. September 11th, is vivid in Lady Liberty’s mind, still, there is one thing she remembers the most: the hope of her people on that day. When the nation was falling apart, the people started to come together, and they started to realize that when everything falls apart there is still a God who loves. I’m optimistic about my nation’s future for one reason: hope (Collins).

While standing over New York, Lady Liberty has not only watched her people, she’s also viewed how technology has grown over the years. She’s witnessed technology transform her nation, in both good and bad ways. As technology improves, people can accomplish tasks quicker, and with more efficiency. Just like everything else, technology has its downfalls, but they don’t compare to its benefits. Technology has helped create cures for all kinds of illnesses, strengthened our communications, and has simply made life easier. Overall, technology has been beneficial to the nation. It has ultimately helped save lives, made getting from place to place faster and easier, improved student’s education, improved the nation’s communications, and many more things.

Alongside the benefits of technology, the Statue of Liberty knows that her nation has a very strong position in the world. First of all, the government is very effective. Of course, it has some problems, but they are minimal compared to many other types of government. She also knows that her nation still has the most powerful military, and the world’s largest economy. In addition, she naturally understands that her nation is the most appealing destination for immigrants. It is clear that America has plenty of weaknesses, but she knows the nation also has massive strengths (Hawkins).

She stands atop America, smiling down on the people below. Why does she smile? For just one reason—hope. She has hope because she knows the power and love of God. She has hope because she has watched her people come together and overcome during difficult times. She has hope because our nation is improving as the world is continually changing. “ Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.”—Helen Keller. Lady Liberty has hope that soon her people will see that when they put their hope in Christ, all things are possible.