Count It All Joy
What a joy to see so many World Cup visitors delighting in the blessings of America just in time for her 250th birthday this weekend. The videos they're posting online don’t hail the glories of the Grand Canyon, the Golden Gate Bridge, or Times Square. On the contrary, they point to some of the most common attributes of “fly-over country.”
One young Italian exclaims over free soda refills. A father raves over a spacious community pool. A woman fawns over her In-N-Out burger, even noting the Bible verse on the bottom of her to-go cup. Others express exuberance over Buc-ee’s, Waffle House, Walmart, and Costco. An African speaks of the beauty and cleanliness of a state university, and Scots laud Americans for being so friendly and welcoming.
Our gracious visitors have seen for themselves that the United States is not the violent, angry, unsafe place they hear described on the news. Being here has opened their eyes (and they’ve opened our own!) to some of our most ubiquitous blessings.
The timing of these international observations on the eve of our country’s 250th Independence Day feels nearly providential. I thank God for showcasing our many blessings in such a fun, unexpected way!
In this spirit of gratitude, I wish you an especially fabulous Fourth of July weekend. Whether you’re headed to Washington D.C. for the Great American State Fair or to your local Costco for family-sized packs of burgers and dogs, I hope you’ll enjoy counting your many red-white-and-blue blessings this year.
I also hope this special 250th anniversary has stirred in you a hunger and a habit for learning your American history. Throughout our Judeo-Christian tradition, the Lord always has emphasized practices of remembrance. They deepen our experience of Scripture and help us recognize God’s plan for each generation—including this one. Let us never forget that civilizations rise and fall by the grace of God, and He has so much to teach us through the stories of those who have come before us.
So I encourage you to add a dose of history to your plans this weekend. Read aloud the Declaration of Independence with friends or family, catch the new Young Washington movie, or curl up with the recently released Revolution by Eric Metaxas, a work of history that’s topping booklists nationwide.
At iVoterGuide, our 250th celebration will continue through midterm elections with more reflections upon American history and our founding ideals. We hope you’ll continue to join us! We also want to express deepest thanks to those who’ve told us how much you’re appreciating our America@250 email series. Some of you are sharing these emails with others, and we're so grateful.
As always, we especially thank you for your commitment to vote wisely for the sake of our great Republic. May God bless America for another 250 years!
