Fresh from the Chari Tree: Proud to be American

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Proud to be American

Today marks a new era for the United States of America. A new president is being inaugurated, and the former president will step down. I want to thank President Bush for all his hard work and for his leadership in the past eight years.

Today should not be the "first time" we are proud to be American, nor should yesterday be the last. Even though many of us may not be pleased with the outcome of November 4th, we can still be patriotic and have pride in our nation. Our patriotism should not be based on the color of someone's skin, but because of the freedoms we all hold dear. We can have pride that we live in a nation that is founded on the fact that all are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." (Declaration of Independence)

We can have pride in what our nation was founded on - principals of justice, freedom and liberty. We can be proud of our founding fathers: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, the list can go on and on. We can be proud that our nation has a Biblical background -several of the first colonies were founded by those seeking religious freedom... and they found it.

We can be proud of our freedoms. We have the freedom to choose our own leaders through the ballot box. We have the freedom enterprise, earning a living in the best way we can. We have the freedom to spend (most) of our money as we see fit. We have freedom from hunger and want. We have the freedom to speak (and write) what we want. But most of all we have the freedom to worship as we choose. We have freedom to pray and to have a church where we can gather with others. We still have these freedoms.

We can be proud of our military. We can be proud of our veterans. Both of my grandfathers were veterans and served overseas. They were honored to serve their country and I am honored to be related to them. (And I miss them both!) I am also proud to personally know several that serve in our armed forces family and friends, a few of which are currently serving overseas. These men and women are sacrificing much to ensure that we as a nation are secure and safe.

In our pride we must remember. Remember to keep patriotism alive in ourselves and to pass it on to our children. We won’t agree with everything happening in our country. Some things are absolutely appalling, especially the lack of respect for human life. It isn’t popular in some circles to be “patriotic,” but it is something we must hold on to. Without patriotism, a nation will fall.

We must remember our responsibilities. We should take our duties as citizens seriously. Voting is a very important task of every citizen and we should not shirk it. We have the duty to respect the offices of those who have been elected whether or not we agree with their platform.

We must remember to pray for our leaders, our most important responsibility. God has commanded it in His Word. We can pray that they will make wise decisions - decisions that are in agreement with the Bible. God directs the hearts of leaders, just as He directs the flow of rivers. Nothing is out of His control. We can remember that no matter what, God is above all. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, (and President of presidents!) Nothing takes God by surprise.