God Bless America by Karen Ruhl

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ~ Galatians 5:13 NIV

Fourth of July, a day that most people think of as a day to party and go watch fireworks. I imagine if you asked people, especially the younger generation, why we celebrate the 4th of July, you would get a variety of answers. Depending on the age group, it would be a fun experiment. I grew up in a time when we knew what the 4th meant to us as a nation. We learned about it in school, and our parents talked about it at home.

Did you know that on July 4, 1776, the 13 colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States?

America is 244 years old and has seen its share of battles, both domestic and foreign. We as a country have weathered illnesses, recessions, rioting, wars, social and religious struggles. There have been so many more issues that could fill this magazine!

The United States is the only country with a continuous democracy more than 200 years old, according to Reuters. We have a population of over 382 million people and 4.09 million miles of navigable roadways across our 50 states (Alaska and Hawaii included). The beating heart of this transportation system is our nation’s 47,432 miles of Interstate Highways.

We are a free country, even when we have a pandemic that may alter our norm. We have freedom of speech, freedom to roam the country over the miles and miles of roadways, freedom to have a family of any size, freedom to own our own homes, freedom to write and read any book we choose, freedom to work where we want, freedom to spend our money as we choose. God has blessed America and we need to continue to stand up and fight for these freedoms. The lyrics to God Bless America says it best.

God bless America, land that I love Stand beside her and guide her Through the night with the light from above From the mountains to the prairies To the oceans white with foam God bless America, my home sweet home

May God bless you all. I urge you to stay in prayer for our country and our leaders. We pray for you all and hope to hear from you.

Blessings, Karen

faithoneverycorner@gmail.com