I LOVE THIS COUNTRY

She quietly closed the door. I looked up, not expecting what would come next. And then she began to share her story…her American story. She was a little girl when her family came to America. Her mother sat her down at the kitchen table and said these words; “ You are in America now. We love this country. It is an honor and a responsibility to be here. You will obey the laws. You will work hard. You will not take any government assistance. You will respect those in the government. You will learn the English language and speak only that. You will go to church and be a good citizen and worship the Lord, who has blessed America. We love this country and you will too.” It would be another five years before she was sworn in as an American citizen. She knew what it is like to not have the freedoms we have, the economic possibilities, the religious choices, the right to vote, to speak freely without being killed or put in jail..to be able to accomplish anything she chose, to marry anyone she wanted…She didn’t wake up every morning with fear, poverty, hopelessness….Her last words to me, before she opened the door, was this; “ don’t stop fighting for the America we have come to love, because if you do, then what hope does the world have?” And then she left. I sat there, stunned, and then a few tears came down my face. As I watched the fireworks in D.C. last night, I was remembering her words and asked myself “ how much do I love America?” 250 years ago God anointed America to be a beacon of hope, of generosity to the world, of His love for all people, to reflect and live out true justice, liberty, freedom for all…to shine His light to all peoples through Jesus…because its building blocks were on His principles. So, the question I ask of you is this; How much do you love this country? So many have given their lives for us, to be able to have the freedoms we have, the choices we can make… As our first President, George Washington said, “ The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people”. May we continue to fight for the America that our forefathers, our military personnel, our children, have come to know and love for the past 250 years. May God bless the USA.