America, If We Can Keep It
249 years ago on the 2nd of July, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted unanimously for a motion from Richard Henry Lee “that these united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states.” At that moment, our nation was born. Two days later, on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence drafted by a committee of five including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. The task of building a nation and fighting the most powerful military on the planet seemed impossible, but, with trust in God for their deliverance, they persevered.
Every July, we celebrate our Independence just as our Founding Fathers intended. John Adams wrote to his wife that our Independence should be celebrated with “Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” With all the cookouts and fireworks we enjoy, I believe John Adams would be proud. He also wrote that our Independence should be commemorated “as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty.”
By God’s grace, America is still the greatest and freest nation in the world, and that can only be maintained through His grace. Later John Adam wrote, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” America’s common morality and our foundation on Judeo-Christian values are integral to the character of our nation.
No amount of law can overcome a population with no moral compass. To compensate, authoritarianism grows in government in an attempt offset the lack of individual self-governance. Strong faith and strong families go a long way in ensuring a more perfect union and should be celebrated and encouraged. Far too often, our culture seeks to degrade the values of faith and family.
We have a lot of work to do to restore our nation to our founding ideals, but I believe our best days lie ahead if we turn our hearts to the Creator who our rights come from. From Bunker Hill to the Beaches of Normandy, every generation has passed a torch of freedom that carries on. It is our responsibility to carry that blessing of liberty and to keep the torch of freedom burning brightly for our children and grandchildren. Our task is not an easy one, but there is no challenge we face greater than what our nation has already overcome. 249 years for a Constitutional Republic is an impossibly long time, and as Ben Franklin said, it’s ours if we can keep it. By God’s grace, we will.
Happy Independence Day and May God Continue to bless America.
