On this 250th anniversary of America’s establishment, I am so, so genuinely grateful to be an American.  I am humbled that God chose and allowed me to be an American.  I am thankful for what being an American means for me.  

“But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.”  Luke 12:48 NLT

I approach being an American with a recognition that I have been entrusted with much and a responsibility to give forward.  To give hope.  To give recognition.  To give patience.  To give encouragement.  To give insight from experience.  To give foresight from experience.  To give joy freely and generously.  To give my time.  To give my heart.  To give love.  These are the attributes that being allowed to be an American have been given to me.

You see, I did not earn the right to be an American.  My great grandfather who died in the line of duty as a U.S. Marshall paid for my right to be an American. My Uncle Benton who courageously led his platoon on those beaches of D-day, losing fingers to free those he was responsible paid for my right to be an American.  My wife’s grandfather who was apart of the horrid Bataan Death March in the Philippines where so many died, paid for my right to be an American.  My grandmother who prayed her sons back from WWII and the Korean War paid for my right.  My father and mother who sacrificed so many of life’s luxuries paid for my right and would tell you that they ‘did not sacrifice at all.’  

Today I am enormously grateful and humbly thankful.  I caution against being too proud because of the insidiousness of pride.  Pride causes us to believe we are entitled.  We are not.  Pride causes us to place ourselves at a higher level of importance than others.  We are not.  Pride can be used as a tool to justify sin and sinful living, leaving one to believe that some sin is okay.  It is not.  Proverbs 16:18 teaches us that “ Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”  ESV

We have so much to be thankful for.  We have so much to be grateful for.  We have so much to be responsible for.  We have so much work to do in this short time that we are allowed to be Americans.

My prayer this 250th birthday celebration is that we will grasp the enormity of our gift and responsibility to zealously protect what we have been given.  It was not free.  Nothing worthwhile is free.  Being an American is not free, but it is so freeing.

Happy Birthday America.  I am thankful for you.