Fourth of July!

This is why I get misty-eyed whenever I hear the Star Spangled Banner (I did take a bit of license):

It's the war of 1812. Still a baby, the United States of America has just suffered devastating and demoralizing losses to England, their former ruler. Looking to cripple and finally crush the young US, England has now set its sights on the important seaport of Baltimore, whose harbor is protected by Fort McHenry. From his vantage point on a ship several miles distant, Francis Scott Key watched with bated breath as the British ships’ 25-hour bombardment of McHenry raged on. Imagine standing where he stood, watching for an entire day as THE military power focused its wrath on a vital link in your beloved country’s armor. As sunset approaches, you can just see the flag waving atop the walls of the fort. You can’t sleep, worried about the fate of your country and your own fate as a supporter of that rebellious collection of colonies. Each explosion, though heart-wrenching as it could herald the end of your nation, also causes your spirit to soar as the brief light shows the flag still flying high above the fort. Passing out with exhaustion in the pre-dawn hours, you are soon awakened by a commotion among the crew. You turn to them and ask, “In this early-morning light, can you still see what we were watching with such pride as the evening light faded? We watched as its broad stripes and bright stars flew strong above the fort’s walls throughout the vicious battle. The bombs and rockets only encouraged us more as their light showed our flag to still be there. So, tell me: does that star-spangled banner still wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave?”

 

The answer is, “Yes! It does!”

 

While this is an emotional song for me and I do consider myself patriotic, I don’t put my hope in this country, nor in the redemption of our nation’s widespread immorality, nor in the rise of some other nation that could stay focused on God better. I would love for the US to return to the God-centered principles on which it was founded, but my hope is not in that. My hope is instead placed on the fact that God is still in charge and has a plan that he is bringing to fruition in his own timing.

 

In personal news, I am settling in to my new life situation without too much trouble. I am meeting people and getting connected, which is so encouraging for me. As a natural loner, it is easy for me to isolate and get lonely and depressed. While there is still a component of that, it is less than in the past and I am able to deal with the loneliness in a much more healthy manner. I am much less anxious and have a much more positive outlook on the coming year than I expected. Again, that’s not to say everything is perfect, but I’m handling bumps in the road better than I could in the past.

 

Scott