I love fireworks! The bang, the boom, the sparkles, the excitement! I love them! We are close to the 4th right now and I find myself looking for venues that will have spectacular fireworks next week. I love fireworks.
My love for fireworks started out a little rocky. I remember that as a very small girl, I was under my daddy’s legs, listening and peeking at my first fireworks show at a beach in Virginia. I don’t remember being particularly scared or excited, mostly curious, but fast forward to my adult life and my passion grew and grew.
I must ask myself, is it the thrill of the fireworks or is it that I am so proud of my country that I want to celebrate in this fashion? Altruistically I will say the latter, so, let’s dive into that thought.
“My Country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.” I am so proud of our country! The United States has been a beacon of freedom for its relatively short history. Think of it, a group of patriots launched an all-out revolution against tyranny and injustice. A small group of brave businessmen formed a governing body and penned what is a miracle document, The Bill of Rights, closely followed by the by Constitution.
When you study some of the founding documents or even take a class in Civics, you find that some of the concepts and arguments are downright brilliant, as in “God Ordained,” for example, the three branches of Government, Congress, Executive and the Supreme Court. Two with the powers “from the people”, and one that gets its power from following the Law. When you stop and think of how many different situations these men thought about, and how they managed to address things that had not happened, like civil rights and abortion (implied), it makes me know that God wanted this country to happen and wanted it to flourish.
My grandmother came to America on a boat from Italy in the early 1900’s, she was 12 years old and didn’t speak English, however, when her children were born (my dad included) she said to them “we are Americans, and we will speak English!” She knew what she had left, and she loved America. Personally, I’m not against people teaching their children their native language, but I was impressed with my grandmother’s resolve when I heard this story.
You may say, is there some point to your story? Well, there is! There are forces that would have us forget or become complacent about this awesome country we have and these freedoms we enjoy. It makes me want to wave an American flag around wherever I go!
Here’s the deal, teach your children about this country, they may not be getting any good history in school. Teach them to love America and all the progress we have made in the years of existence, all the way down to that cellphone that is in their hands (and yours!)
God has given us a great country and only He can bless it, now more than ever. I commend you if you are already training them in all things American, but if not, let’s start this Fourth of July and remember, it’s not about the barbeque, it’s not even about the fireworks, it’s about a country that loves God and was founded on His principles.
PM
