Tuesday, July 5, 2016

WHY IS AMERICA UNIQUE?



"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance."  Psalm 33:12

Happy 240th birthday America! Surely the heart of America's success as a nation is that God has blessed this country. We've had our problems and heartbreaks, but have always prevailed in our determination to seek personal freedom and be grateful for God's blessings. What started as a gradual shift toward progressive thinking in the 1960's has begun to steamroll across the country. Life is changing here in America, and not for the good.

I've posted a photo of a large quilt that my husband, using his engineering skills, designed. I sewed it together a few months after our 9/11 tragic event in 2001. I made it to take to the beach but somehow can't bring myself to spread it out on the sand. It's a tribute to my country and deserves more respect.

Many things make America a unique country. For one, everyone came here from someplace else. The American Indians are the only ones who can claim this to be their native land, the rest of us have our roots elsewhere in the world. The Pilgrims were from England and came in search of freedom of religion and freedom from being taxed without representation. They arrived in 1620, not to seek fortunes of gold and silver or to conquer and enslave another people. Some of this occurred throughout our history, but their main agenda was freedom.

As a nation of immigrants we willingly assimilated into the fabric of what was American. People arrived here not knowing one word of English. All of my forefathers arrived from Sweden. They sent their children to school, quickly learned the English language and helped to build a new country using their skills and hard work. It wasn't easy, they missed their homeland but fought through every hardship that came their way. Good people still continue to come and work their way toward a better future where they can enjoy life, liberty and pursue happiness without fear of a government taking it all away from them.

We as a country are unique because we have unique documents that govern us. Our Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights were designed to limit government's authority. Our three branches of government, Executive, Legislative and Judicial were designed to keep a balance of power. Right from the start we clung to the principles of Capitalism and Free Enterprise and most important, honored God.  Our colleges and universities were established on God's Word - yes, even Harvard and Yale!

Many of our customs have been eroded, or are eroding. All evidence of a Christian nation has been attacked in one way or another. We witness injustice; not everyone is always treated the same. But we are a determined people and so many of us worship the Sovereign Lord who is our refuge - Psalm 73:28. We know His hand is on our country, and we trust His guidance. 

I love going to baseball games. It's such an American thing to do! At Petco Park here in San Diego the Padres invite our local servicemen to come to a free ballgame. The service men and women who are present are always given a standing ovation. We sing our anthem, The Star Spangled Banner. The words, "the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air" remind us that we enjoy freedom and liberty because every generation has produced those who have been willing to pay the price, from the American Revolution to Iraq and Afghanistan.  We thank you!

Most of all, I love when we sing 'God Bless America' at the ball park - ". . .land that I love, from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam, God bless America my home sweet home" - I usually cry.

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among nations what he has done. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. . .seek his face always.
I Chronicles 16:8 - 11

David, who wrote the Psalms, the little shepherd boy who became a King, the one who killed a giant with a slingshot wrote those words. He also wrote these words. . .

"Yours O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty. . .for everything in heaven and earth is yours. . . Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things."  I Chronicles 29:10 - 12

Nations rise up and fall into oblivion, kings and queens come and go - so do presidents and congressman - here today, gone tomorrow
but one thing will always stand forever, God's Word.

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."   Isaiah 40:8


 HAPPY 4TH OF JULY AMERICA - GOD BLESS US EVERYONE!