As we enter the month of July, there is a lot going on all around us, and all around the world.
The war in the Ukraine continues unabated. In Gaza and Lebanon, there is still ongoing destruction and death. The hostilities in and around Iraq are still bubbling to the surface. There is an unprecedented heat wave affecting Europe. There is mass famine and starvation in Sudan. Deaths are still being tallied, bodies being recovered from the earthquakes that struck Venezuela.
Here at home in the U.S., we are in an affordability crisis. Prices for day to day living are elevated and making it harder and harder for so many. We have political parties and politicians bashing each other in an attempt to score points for election purposes. Our leaders continue to spend tax revenues, and future revenues on items that seem less pointed at helping the general population. There is much dysfunction in the seats of government.
With all of this as a backdrop, we will mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. We have been through a lot in those years. We have had plenty of ups and downs. We have weathered many storms, many battles, many times of desperation which threatened our continuing as a nation. We have gotten many things wrong. We have been slow to correct the ills that plague us, and quick to find situations and persons on which to affix blame.
I strongly believe we have the potential to rise above all that seeks to undermine us, and to be a nation that cares for all who inhabit her shores. I believe we are a strong country with many resources, and because we are blessed so richly, we also owe a debt to other places that are suffering. When the chips are down, we have the ability and potential to rise to the forefront of whatever disaster is occurring.
With the advent of our 250th birthday, I am praying daily for our nation, its leaders, and also for our world at large. I believe its easy enough to point to our flaws which are many, and then to find scapegoats to blame. What’s hard is, acknowledging our shortcomings, our failures, our lack of wisdom, empathy and love.
Besides all of the aforementioned, I believe we have been immensely blessed by God. And I further believe, when we begin to live out our ideals we will be blessed more than we can even comprehend. We are a richer nation because of the great diversity of culture, ethnicities, traditions, and even languages. Major languages spoken here are English with 245 million speakers. Spanish is next with 42 million speakers. Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese) 3.5 million, Tagalog 1.7 million, Vietnamese 1.5 million, Arabic 1.3 million and French 1.2 million. This doesn’t even touch the indigenous languages of those who came before us. Some 170 active Native American and Alaskan languages. Nowhere else in the world is this kind of diversity found. What binds us together is the understanding that “All men [PEOPLE] are created equal.” We believe this and we must live this out.
There is a richness in our tapestry that is not only beautiful, it is resilient and courageous. I have no doubt we will rise above what currently plagues us, and we will be a place where all people will be accepted and loved.
Former First Lady, Laura Bush says…
“Our nation has not always lived up to its ideals—yet those ideals have never ceased to guide us. They expose our flaws, and lead us to mend them. We are the beneficiaries of the generations before us, and it is each generation’s responsibility to continue the work.”
I concur, wholeheartedly! We will do our part in this time. We will be a beacon of light. We will sacrifice more. We will serve more. We will love more. This IS who we are. May God’s love resonate in us, and spread to each and every one. To those who are cast aside, May God bring in to the fold. To those who are failing, may God prop up. To those who are angry and resistant to including all, may God soften and breathe new life into. To those who are fearful, may God calm their fears. And to all, may God’s love be renewed, day by day.
Your companion on the Way,
Pastor Tom