“He’s fine. Leave him alone.”
I couldn’t believe my father’s words. He had just asked my first son, his grandson, to come to him when he was about 3 years old. “No!” Caden said, and then proceeded to kick him in the shin and walk away.
I braced for what I knew would happen next. To my surprise, his grandfather scolded me, “Oh it’s all right. He didn’t mean anything by it. Leave him alone. He’s fine.”
What? If that was me, I would still be walking with a limp. Isn’t it funny how grandparents have a different perspective of looking at kids than parents do? They both love them dearly, but grandparents seem to overlook their flaws, and parents tend to see the good, the bad, and the ugly.
America is beautiful, but she’s not perfect. I love America and am blessed to live here. Our forefathers led us into this American Experiment, and it has led to opportunity and freedom. For some it has taken much longer to realize, but we have many things to be optimistic about for our future.
However, we must look at America through the eyes of a parent and not a grandparent. We must be honest that America is not perfect and still has a long way to go.
We have a past that is tainted, and a present that is tattered. Although there have been honorable triumphs in our past, we must not overlook the oppression of people — both the Native American and the African-American — that led to the development of our nation. In our present day, selfish desires have led to the murder of millions of unborn babies, prejudice toward others with a different skin color, and an assault on the institution of marriage. We have violently attacked people with our words on social media, and called evil good and good evil.
Our hope for a better America does not rest on political reform or a robust military. Neither of these can lead to heart change. Our only hope is for the heart change that comes when someone turns their life over to Jesus and follows Him. Only then will we see people as God’s image, sacrifice to help the vulnerable, and seek the peace and prosperity of our communities.
Embrace America, with all of its blemishes, but let us not be satisfied with where we are. Let us repent for our mistakes, both past and present. Bless God by loving every American. Then, with a pure heart, we can pray: God Bless America.