Not a Mistake! A Personal and Patriotic Slogan
I like the slogan, I make mistakes, but I am not a mistake. It’s the kind of reminder that makes me stop and reassess what I am doing and change course. I am grateful for every day I have that opportunity to change and amend my conduct.
The USA is NOT a Mistake!
Headlines for the 241st anniversary of America’s birth report that many Americans see nothing to celebrate on the Fourth of July – “It’s a white-man’s holiday” sums up their opinions. And when I survey many of the patriotic You-Tubes, they may a point – many white folks harmonize to “Proud to be an America,” few, if any, people of color seem to join the choruses.
Addressing Our Mistakes
- Maybe division is multiplying because many of our citizens have outgrown a holy fear of their Creator?
- Maybe division is multiplying because many churches are ashamed of the Gospel?
America is a nation which has made mistakes — makes mistakes; but our nation is not a mistake. We have done wrong to many of our citizens – but the principles of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness are not mistakes. (The Declaration of Independence )
No government, however good, can care for us in ways that only God can, and does. Our rights are derived from Him. So, it is not wrong to expect that our government to govern her citizens with compassion, common sense, and courage. Nor is it wrong to expect our citizens to contribute to the common good of our nation.
Ask not what your country can do for you – but what you can do for your country. JFK’s inaugural address is worth rereading – (our history and the history of the nations before us is worth reading!)
. . . Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah — to “undo the heavy burdens – and to let the oppressed go free.” And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavour, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved . . . (JFK’s Inaugural Address)
We make a mistake to think these are the worst of times – and our fellow citizens with whom we disagree are our enemies. Our enemies are those who hate what we have established by God’s grace and the blood of millions who fought for the freedom to make mistakes, and try again, God willing, to get it right. We have made mistakes – but we are not a mistake!
God Bless America!