Give to Caesar

July 4, 2014
        Day 65

There are some people who get royally pissed off when I remind them that love of country should come second to love of God.  I don't mean atheists either.  I mean real God-loving people.

But why?  Why would you ever love a country, a geographical location marked by walls and boundaries, over your love of mankind?  I just don't get it, and I don't think I ever will, but no matter...because today, I'm going in the opposite direction.  (You're welcome!)  Today I'm reminding you that this poligilous, religical coin has another side to it.  Love of country does absolutely have its time and place, even in the soul of a devout believer of any faith.

The 4th of July in the United States is Independence Day, and as such, it's the high holy day for American pride.  We celebrate our independence as a country, our very birth as a country, but we also celebrate all the freedoms and liberties we enjoy as citizens of this great country.  Most of all, we celebrate that the United States of America is one kick-ass awesome place to live, and we are so, so happy to be here! 

Any time I go overseas or even up to Canada, I miss my country.  I miss my language, yeah, but even more than that, I miss my people.  And because I'm a New Yorker, "my people" doesn't mean skin color or ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.  For me, "my people" are those who have similar accents and styles unique to our geographical location.  We speak to each other with an understanding, and though we appreciate the many differences in our culture, we all live our lives as proud citizens of our one country.

We know there's an awful lot wrong with our country, and it's wrongs brought on by well-meaning people from the left and the right.  But today isn't about what's wrong.  Today isn't about who our favorite political party is or which politician we hate the most.  Today is about all we've gotten right.  It's about all we love about our beautiful country, and its many beautiful types of people.

So God, please bless America this day and every day?  Please keep us safe from harm, and please watch over our Armed Forces here and abroad.  Please help our police officers and firefighters to make wise, safe decisions as well. 

And God, can I add just one more request?  I pray we may all never stop being grateful for this incredible, majestic, beautiful land we love!

God, Bless America?

May 26, 2014.

It isn't a command, right?  We're not ordering the creator of the universe to bless us.

And it isn't a statement of fact in the sense that we believe God blesses America more than any other country or people.

When we say, "God bless America," we are in fact asking God to bless America.  We're requesting assistance from God and Heaven for all the pursuits of truth and freedom we believe in.  We're praying for God's help and protection.  We're asking God to bless our troops who defend this country we love, and we're asking God to keep them and our country safe from harm. 

I can't help but philosophize about the phrase, because I hear it so often.  I don't hear, "God, bless my enemies," even though Jesus specifically told us to love our enemies and pray for those who hurt us.  Instead, I just hear people asking the creator of the universe to bless this one country. 

And guess what?  I want God to bless this country, and her people too!  I want God's blessings and protection whenever I can get them!  I love God more than my country, but I love my country too!  I love the troops who protect my country, and I want God to protect them always.  I genuinely believe we have an amazing country here, and whenever I come back to this land after venturing off to any of the other countries I've been lucky enough to visit, I always thank my blessings for this land I love.

But I cannot stop reminding people of the truths I began this reflection with: God is not our slave, waiting for a command from us like, "Bless America...now!" and God is not blessing any country or religious group more than another.  When we put our focus on the love of God, the one who speaks through his children of forgiveness and prayer, kindness and peace, we cannot help but already feel the blessings God gives us. 

So God, please bless America?  Please bless our troops just the way I pray you bless all troops in all countries on Earth.  I know you do not bless all ideologies of those whose aim is to bring about pain and death, judgment and slavery, but I pray you bless us all with the knowledge and spirit we need to make this a better planet.  I pray you bless America with the wisdom and insight necessary to make it an even greater country than it already is.  I pray you bless our leaders, of all political parties, with that same wisdom and insight.  And I pray my "God, bless America" prayer with all humility and gratitude for all the blessings I have received as a citizen of this great, great, great nation.  Amen, and thank you!