I think it was the year I graduated high school. I and thousands of other high school seniors from all different backgrounds and walks of life were considering their future, dreaming of what the days ahead might hold for them. I didn’t know it at the time, but I had a friend that lived an ocean away- I would meet her some 12 years later. She was running, literally running for her life, afraid that she might not see another day. She, and many others like her, had been told to get to this boat. If they could just get to the boat, it would take them somewhere safe. As people fought through the crowd to get onto the walkway that stretched over the water and led into the boat, some fell off that very walkway into the water and drowned. But she made it safe into that boat, and her life was preserved from the West African genocide of the day. Eventually, after many long days, she was brought to America. She still lives here in the U.S. today, has her own home, and is happily raising her daughter, while she works a full-time job.
I have another friend. She moved here from a country in Asia nearly 20 years ago. She has gone back to visit her family there several times since then. When asked if she would ever go back permanently, her answer generally goes something like this. Although she loves and misses her family, she doesn’t think so. Corrupt is the word that comes to her mind. It’s SO corrupt there. If people in America had any idea what it was like, they would be grateful, she’d say. And she has a good life here, a well paying job, a church family, and a beautiful, peaceful home to live in.
Another story- this girl is from a separate Asian country than the one mentioned above. She’s dear to me. We got to talk multiple times about her experiences here. She once wrote on an online forum about a problem in her home country, nothing major. The next day she received like 50 of the same emails-addressing the very problem that she had mentioned in the online forum. This was just one instance where she became tuned into the fact that her government was watching her- aware of every comment that she made, especially any seemingly negative comments.
This same girl- we celebrated her birthday once. It wasn’t anything major- just a cake and a Happy Birthday song. It touched her because it was the first time she’d had her birthday celebrated. She mentioned that where she’s from, they don’t value people the way Americans have learned to value people. She said she thinks that it is our Christian heritage that has led us to celebrate people well.
Then there’s another girl I know, from a country in central Africa. She worked as a reporter there but was reporting on things the government didn’t like. She was arrested and put in prison for a full year before she was released. She was allowed to come to the U.S. to enhance her schooling.
Then there’s me. In the last 11 years, I’ve gotten to visit some different foreign countries. Each was beautiful in its own way, and I got to meet many lovely people, and lived a variety of treasured experiences. But each of these countries’ people experience day to day hardships I dare to guess very few Americans’ lives have ever touched. I stood in a hotel where a suicide bomber had once exploded themselves, hoping to kill many others in the hotel. This hotel was in a walled city- an electronic wall, built for protection. I stood in a bunker that had once been used to pick off innocent farmers as they came out to take care of the crops. The people here have bomb shelters. When the siren goes off, they have about 30 guaranteed seconds to make it the shelter safely.
In every foreign country I’ve been too, I’ve been admonished not to drink the water. It’s not guaranteed to be safe.
I’ve been to a city in another country that is known to be one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Our group was told here not to look at anyone as we were driving. We didn’t want anyone to get any funny ideas that we’re against them.
In these countries, I’ve witnessed many things- a wall with broken glass pieces on the top, ya know to keep out the intruders, pot holes that would test anyone’s driving skills, children digging through trash, trash littering the roadway, hopeless faces…
I’ve woken up and went hiking through the woods a bazillion times and never feared for my life while doing so. I can turn the faucet on and drink clean water if I so desire. I’ve had a hot shower every day for the last many years. I taught in a school that like all of our public schools offer free breakfasts and lunches to students whose parents can’t afford them. In the latest pandemic, I received a check in the mail from our government. I walked through a clear, unpolluted stream as I went walking just this weekend. I’ve visited a grocery store basically every week for the last many years and there has always been an abundance of food on the shelves. I’ve watched many sporting events, where people of all different backgrounds and nationalities have had the chance to shine. I’ve had access to good doctors and had two surgeries by an excellent doctor and surgical team. Never once did I question the sanitation of my surroundings. I’ve driven on paved roads that are regularly repaved so that I can travel on them safely. I’ve gotten to vote in many free and fair elections. I’ve went to church regularly and worshiped freely and haven’t felt threatened by the government or any other radical groups to stop me. I’ve been able to talk about things that I don’t like about our government and never once have I gotten communication from them to stop. I’ve enjoyed visiting clean, beautiful, well-kept parks in the area on a regular basis. I’ve called 911 and had them respond immediately. A little girl had fallen off her motor scooter and severely injured her knee. Another time when I reported someone missing to the police, they tracked the person down within 24 hours. My birthday has been celebrated every year that I was born. When I put a hole in my truck turning too closely to a pole, my insurance covered the damage, and my truck was made to look brand new. I have a washer and a dryer to wash my clothes. I don’t worry about being bombed on a weekly basis.
I could go on and on about these rather normal experiences of life in the U.S, but I think one gets the point. God has used this nation to be a safe haven for countless individuals of all different walks of life, to be a beacon of hope to the world time and time again. A great nation is made of great people. And to all of those great ones, both past, present, and future, thank you. Men and women have given their lives to defend and protect me and millions of others, even when we didn’t even know it and were even unappreciative. Our nation is a blessing, and I continue to pray over her daily. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all. Happy birthday, America! And thank you, Jesus! It is because of Him that liberty has been born into our souls forever, and no government shall ever take that freedom away from us.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Virtue Girls Blog 