Happy Birthday, USA!

 

So, if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ~John 8:36

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. ~John Adams

On July 4th, 2026, our beloved nation turns 250 years old!  I know I'm not alone when I say that I couldn't be more proud to be an American, especially during this landmark year.  I'm old enough to remember our 200th birthday, too.  Unfortunately, I was in England at that time for a summer study of British literature.  But our group was genuinely surprised and honored to witness the Buckingham Palace guards offer a royal tribute to their American brothers and sisters.

Those moments, I recall, were the first time during that monumental trip when I felt the poignant twinge of homesickness, pining for the land I love.

Fifty years later, I find it both ironic and joyful that so many FIFA fans from all over the world have descended on our great nation for the games.  Their exuberance for the American way of life, from Buckee's to Waffle House, cold beer and air conditioning, from sea to shining sea, is both infectious and inspiring.  Truly, their enthusiasm for our country reminds us how blessed we are to have the freedoms that we often take for granted.

I'm absolutely loving every moment leading up to the big day and I plan to revel in the celebrations taking place on the National Mall and all throughout the land.  But it's not just about barbeques, parades, fireworks and flyovers, although they are all fantastic in and of themselves.

It's about God.

Our Founding Fathers were immersed in His Word, recognizing it as the very cornerstone of western civilization.  When they came to the original thirteen colonies, they brought with them all the best of the Old World's ideas and ideals, and created a government like not other ever before seen or tried.  I believe with every fiber of my being that it was God's will to establish this nation as His "Shining City on the Hill."  After all, when one looks at the historical improbability of rag-tag militias triumphing over the then greatest empire in the world, how could it have possibly happened without Him?  Winning our revolution against the formidable British Empire was nothing short of miraculous!

Here, 250 years later, figures such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin loom large in our collective conscience as do countless more who contributed to the formation of our government.  But we must hold tightly to what John Adams stated above:  Our Constitution is made only for a moral and religious people.  If we lose sight of that basic premise, our country will be lost.

So let's resolve to put the Lord first in our lives always, thanking Him for all our blessings, and praying that He will ever defend, protect and inspire us to do great things that are pleasing in His sight.  And we we ever cherish and uphold the freedoms America affords us because God is on His throne.

Happy Birthday, USA, and may you celebrate many more!

Amen!