Stripes and Stars

     Home of the Brave.  Land of the Free.  United. 

     There's something special about America.  It may be the vibrancy of our colors - how even the grass seems to glimmer with ease.  It could be the hard-working nature of our people, many have difficulty stopping to enjoy themselves from time to time.  Possibly it's the ease of travel, there is a normalcy to out of state travel that is comforting.  Maybe it's the sheer size of the country... 3,794,000 square miles.  But no, none of these things truly touch the heart of America's unique beauty. 

      My best guess is that the thing that makes America so special has been taken for granted, mistaught, abused, and frequently discarded.  It now resembles the first American flag: beaten and torn, but beautifully inspiring if taken in fully.  This is our country's history.  The United States began in the hearts of impossibly stubborn people who desired the freedom to worship their God without abandon.  Unknown to most, many of these people died seeking this freedom, and others were plagued by authorities from numerous countries - many serving time in prisons and jails.  Once these people broke out from under oppression, they strove to build a country based not only on the freedom of individual choice, but the freedom of the Lord whom they served. 

      While nearly every American student studies the country's past wars in their history classes, too infrequently is the topic of oppression discussed.  Africans were not the only people group who's oppression played a role in our country's history.  From Japanese Internment camps to the church's role in rescuing many Hmong from refugee camps, America has been defined by the act of overcoming.  Our history is remarkable because of the fierce determination of the people making it happen.
       I realize it's a cliché but it's true to say that today's present is tomorrow's history, and we are constantly writing it.  Reality is that the suffering that defined the people of America's history is just as present today.  Children deal with negligent parents, spouses fear leaving abusive partners, parents struggle to support their families, teenage girls get pregnant, people suffer from depression, suicide attempts and successes sweep through high schools, shootings take innocent victims, young adults struggle with eating disorders, marriages fail more often than succeed.  Every citizen is suffering with pain in their heart, each in different way.
       My hope for this beautiful country is that we will view the hardships and victories of the people before us as an inspiration.  We will realize that only together were they able to conquer, and the same is true for us.  That we will find support in our fellow hurting citizens and be willing to share our pain - to work through our problems.  United, we will continue on in the fight more important than any war, the fight that requires the utmost bravery, the fight that heals and restores...the fight for freedom.