As our country celebrates 250 years, I’ve been thinking about what America is really made of.
There are challenges for us to pray for America, and I believe that we should. But what is “America” exactly?
Yes, it’s history. Yes, it’s the Declaration of Independence. But it’s also the people.
It’s the neighbor who checks in after a storm like the one we had recently. The teacher who believes in your kid, who this year is a struggling student. The first responder who comes when we call, no matter what they find, they help us out of it! It’s the military families who are not all together this July 4th so the rest of us can gather with ours. It’s the community leaders who quietly serve, the volunteers who show up, and the parents raising the next generation to be kind, honest, and courageous.
Freedom isn’t just something that was won 250 years ago. It’s something we experience every day because ordinary people choose to serve, protect, lead, and love well.
So as the fireworks light up the sky this Fourth of July, the best way to celebrate America is to notice the people around us who make it feel like home.
