A Rising Sun

Happy 236th Birthday, America! I always look forward to the Fourth of July, not just because of the fireworks, food, family and fun (which are all great!) but mainly because I love this country so so much.

My family has spent most of our Independence Days in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where the first parade in the nation takes place right at midnight! The downtown street is lined with people, and just before the parade starts, it's tradition to throw money out in the street for the kids. This was my favorite part. One time I came home with 8 dollars!

After spending so many holidays down there, you develop a strategy to collect as much as you can. Like paying careful attention to the grown ups' every movement. If they reach for their purse or pocket, chances are they're grabbing loose change to chuck in the street at just the right moment. Another trick... listening rather than looking. The smaller, less-valuable coins (i.e. the greatly hated pennies) make a lighter noise when they hit the concrete. Also, dollar bills are rare. But you can't be afraid to run into some shoulders chasing after Mr. Washington. It sounds kinda violent, but I promise, it's good, clean, competitive fun.

I played the "I'm a kid" card wayyy longer than I probably should have. Hey, free money...Why wouldn't I?! But now that I've unofficially graduated from the street, I get to enjoy what it's like on the sidewalk. Throwing the coins is great, although the looks on the kids' faces are priceless.

It's memories like these that are just a small part of why I love being an American. There's something special about it-- something you just can't find anywhere else in the entire world. We really are beyond blessed. I thank God everyday for my country and my freedom. But I know that the United States didn't come to be without a great cost. On the way home from lunch today, I saw a bumper sticker today that said "Land of the Free because of the Brave." A mere 'thank you' seems so insignificant in light of the sacrifice men and women make so we can live in happiness, worship as we please, pursue the American dream, and be free people.

If you study the Founding Fathers, it is more than evident that, in their writing the Constitution, they believed that a spirit of freedom was intimately united with a spirit of religion.

In short, liberty is not without divine providence.

2 Corinthians 3:17 says it best: "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

Today is about something so much greater than politics. It is about remembering where we came from to get to where we are. Now, don't get me wrong. I worry about our future as a nation. The headlines and some of the actions of our leaders are, at times, despairing and scary. I love my country so so much and I want to do everything I can to give my children and future generations the best life possible. But I have to remember that, no matter what happens, God is still on His thrown. He is our only hope, and we must, as a nation and as a people, turn back to Him lest we face His judgement.

At Sunday's church service, our pastor shared a quote from Ben Franklin: “The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”

Please remember to pray for America. Pray for our leaders; that they have wisdom to make the right decisions, integrity to uphold their convictions, and faith to trust God's provision.

To close, I'd like to share one of my most favorite moments in history.

It is recorded that on the final day of the 1787 Federal Convention, while the last members were signing the Constitution, Dr. Franklin marveled at a picture of the sun on the back of the President's chair. He then observed to a few members near him that it was a challenge for painters to distinguish in their art a rising from a setting sun. After the 39th name was signed, Franklin famously remarked, "Now, at length, I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting Sun."

This Independence Day, celebrate our nation's history. May God bless you and yours, and may God forever bless America.

-Rachel