In America, we have
many citizenship blessings to always rejoice about. We have many issues to
always pray about. We have everything to be grateful for. And as a Christian,
my holy book teaches me to faithfully practice these three foundations of life.
Growing
up in the 1950-60 era of elementary education, our teacher began the school day
by "calling the roll" and three other practices. Of course, I can
only verify what the teachers did in my elementary school.
First, she repeated this sentence from The Declaration of
Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all
men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness."
Second, the teacher
led us in repeating The Pledge of Allegiance: "I pledge allegiance to the
Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." We
all faced the flag and placed our right hands over our hearts as a personal
salute as we pledged our loyalty, even though we didn't understand what loyalty
meant.
Third, she read a
passage from The Bible and led us in repeating The Lord's Prayer: "Our
Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And
forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, for ever. Amen."
Joy, gratitude and
prayer are good foundations of life. The
immediate result of reviewing them every morning before school started was that
our schools had no shooting sprees, no stabbings, and no bombs blowing up kids
and teachers. Police officers weren't required either.
Of course, back in
the 50s and 60s, there were some philosophical and moral and religious dissent
to starting the school day with the pledge and prayer. It seems that many
dissenters were afraid our minds were too young to be influenced in morality
and patriotism. But, dissenters have the same "unalienable rights,"
under the Constitution, as the rest of us.
It wasn't enough
that the majority made allowances for the dissenters' children to not
participate in the citizen's pledge or Bible reading or prayer. The dissenters
insisted, even to the Supreme Court, that no child should be influenced by such
practices. And across American school districts, we are regularly confronted by
the consequences of their fears.
We are all afraid of
something. What happens though when we take action because of our fears? We
destroy practices that support good citizenship. We become a society of
demanding self-love. We become a society in which 80% of the population lives
on government subsidized welfare, supplied from the 20% working citizenry.
And worse yet, we
become a society of pagans who rejects any knowledge of the Divine Creator
referred to by the framers of our Constitution. Finally, the ultimate
consequence is a chaotic society of sectarian rebels who terrorize any and
all who challenge their individual morality and loyalty.
And this is the tree
that is growing from the seed planted by the dissenters who demanded their
individual rights with seemingly no concern for the greater good of the nation.
So what can I do about it? How can I get rid of the roots and remove the tree?
I'm going to pursue
the will of God in Christ and be joyful. Joy is determine by the hope I have
and not by the circumstances around me. I'm going to be grateful. Gratitude is
seen in my actions, both as a citizen of heaven and in America. I'm going to pray.
It is the greatest power on this earth. Prayer moves mountains and the root
problems in any society. I'm going to pursue the will of God in Christ,
confident that the Divine Creator has not forgotten America!
Dear Father, thank
you for the liberties we enjoy both as your children and as citizens of this
great nation. Forgive me, O Lord, for my sin and the sins of our local, state,
and national governments. As Americans repent, bless us with your forgiveness and
mercy. I pray this in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Will you pray for
America? If you are not an American, will you pray for your own country?
No comments:
Post a Comment