It was a few months shy of my 22nd birthday the very first time I ever left the United States. The God-given lifelong interest in different cultures, accompanied by a pull to do ministry, led to a month in Rwanda for mission work that summer. When I shared with people where our team was going, and how it was my first trip abroad, there was typically a response about how I would be in for a “major culture shock” or something about not drinking the water. Well, there actually was a slight culture shock, but it was in the opposite direction.
I suddenly realized what made America so unique.
As the trip came to an end, my two-decade-backed sense of American patriotism only grew. In fact, the overwhelming sense of pride I took in my home was only relieved by running to the store when I returned to Nashville so I could buy an American flag sticker for my car.
Since that trip, I have been awarded opportunities to visit several other nations on missions. Each trip produces a blend of looking at other cultures wondering why we don’t incorporate some of their customs here, and a stronger appreciation for all of the things we “got right” in the U.S. that other places didn’t.
Just two years after that initial trip, the world shut down over a virus and international travel was halted. Local governments around the nation followed the guidance of a select few in Washington and lockdowns became commonplace. People were told to “do their part, stay apart” and limit any travel outside of your home. We as humans are not designed to be isolated, but the side effects of isolation weren’t truly felt until after those first few months.
Some states pushed for masks and remote work, while others acted like there was no pandemic at all… good way to drive a wedge. Some people thought the Trump administration wasn’t doing enough to take the virus seriously, which costed lives, while others thought Trump’s team was flirting with tyrannical overreach by the 15-day-curve-flattening tactic. The wedge was deepened. We were in a whole new way of life, forming our opinions on what was really happening, and cementing those opinions with tailored social media feeds.
Then, it happened. Two-ish months in. The American people, divided and stir-crazy, were hit with bodycam footage of a man dying while in custody of Minneapolis police officers. Not only did the backlash prompt debates around cause of death and proper policing, but these debates quickly morphed into differing stances towards the United States of America as a whole.
And that is where my reverse culture shock kicked back in.
While some Americans wanted to burn down the institutions– some quite literally did– and start over, I began to study our history and recall some of the lessons that were only learned while overseas. Five years have passed since the 2020 summer, and although that madness has ceased, the gratitude for my country has not.
We have no control over where we are born. We have no say in who our parents are, what time in history we live, and the ethnicity we display. Only the sovereign Lord of the universe determines those things.
God in His sovereignty placed me in the United States of America in 1996; raised by a devout Christian set of parents. I had zero say.
However, the older I have gotten, and the more I have studied scripture, the tug to steward and serve my country has strengthened. Not because it is perfect, but because it is mine!
I often think of a quote from the English author and apologist G.K. Chesterton. “Men did not love Rome because she was great. She was great because they had loved her.” If God has naturalized me as an American, why would I not try to love my nation? Do I not want to make the U.S. as great as it can be? If I were born in Estonia, or Cambodia, or Botswana, would I not want to help make them the greatest versions of themselves? How easy it would be to tear down something because it isn’t perfect. How rewarding it would be to help improve.
Even now, as people in America criticize America, foreigners aren’t deterred. We still have a great founding, and other nations know it. The same way fish don’t know they’re in water, complaining Americans are surrounded by prosperity– making it possible to gripe about the present and criticize the past.
Yet, people line up to come here. I attend naturalization ceremonies once a month for work, and sitting in these courtrooms are people of all ages from dozens of countries, some crying, some smiling, most waving American flags, all leaving their original homes to construct new lives here.
I am not arguing that Americans don’t appreciate our country, and you can only appreciate America if you are born elsewhere. But what I have seen on my mission trips, and what most of the world experiences firsthand, is that most places don’t offer what we offer. If you get hurt, you can go to a hospital without insurance and still receive care. We have water (even with its nonsense chemicals added) that is safe to drink almost everywhere you go. We have public schools, so affluent people in other nations don’t have to sponsor you from afar to receive an education. Even with corruption and government incompetence, we are still extremely blessed.
We just celebrated our 250th Independence Day yesterday. It is a sacred day as an American. In fact, while drafting the Declaration of Independence, John Adams mentioned how our birthday should be “commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.”
But this time next year will mark 250 years as a nation. Most empires fall around the quarter-millennium mark. Surely not America, because we are different… right? Can we avoid demise? Or at least prolong it?
I don’t know. But I do know this.
The Bible talks extensively about the role of nations. God’s hand has established their borders, determined their power, and directs the hearts of kings as if they were rivers. We have a constitution recognizing that all humans, no matter their origin or status, have value solely because they were created by this God.
And not only do regular, ordinary citizens have worth, but those in power should remember this inalienable worth, and avoid doing evil or treating citizens merely as pawns and subjects.
The Framers and founding fathers were cognizant of the human condition. Pushing for small government, Thomas Jefferson, who wasn’t even a Christian, believed if humans are incapable of self-governance, how could individuals ever govern the masses? We may have lost this along the way, which is proven by a bloated federal system, but most countries never had this sentiment to begin with. There are countries with more people, more natural resources, or more unifying homogeneity that can’t seem to grasp what dead men penned long ago in an “outdated” document.
Are we perfect? No shot. Are we what we once were? No, whether that’s for better or for worse. But we are still America. And our governing literature boasts the longest reign of any country’s constitution active today. And that same constitution was inspired by the very active and living Word of God. It is thru both documents, the Holy Bible and the U.S. Constitution, that we are the powerful and desirable nation that we are today.
We are a nation. We are not an idea. We were forged by rebels, built by settlers, protected by warriors, and now inhabited by nearly 350 million people from all different corners of the globe. And those of us today have it much easier than our founders ever did. It is time to build.
It’s easy to criticize and complain. At times, it’s even fun. It’s easy to point at things from 150, 250, or even 400 years ago to avoid any accountability or maintain complacency. It’s harder to take an honest look at the U.S. today and decide to step up, contribute, and help steer the ship in the right direction.
The United States of America is unique. But honestly, so is every country. God gives countries distinct cultures and identities so that He may be glorified and people will seek Him. It doesn’t mean they’re equal or similar, but countries as a concept are unique.
America truly is unique. And it is different than anywhere else. I wholeheartedly believe this. I can’t get over the fact we have sporting events grossing tens of millions of dollars, and before the game we do flyovers consisting of more aircraft than many countries’ air fleets. For fun. We just do that because we can. It’s awesome. I hope we keep doing it.
As C.S. Lewis once said regarding patriotism, “The last thing we want is to make everywhere else just like our home. It would not be home unless it were different.”
I love you, America. Thank you for a wild 250 July Fourths. If God wills it, here’s to many more.
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