The national anthem of the United States of America is "The Star-Spangled Banner." According to Wikipedia, it was written by "Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British ships of the Royal Navy in Baltimore Harbor during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the large American flag, the Star-Spangled Banner, flying triumphantly above the fort during the American victory." Key's poem was set to music by John Stafford Smith. It was officially made the national anthem by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931 by President Herbert Hoover.
The American flag a/k/a "The Star-Spangled Banner" has represented our freedom, our history, our hope that we have had in America. No, America's past is not all good. There are many injustices that I wish were not a part of our country's history, but they are there nonetheless. We can delete them from history books but not from history. But we must be mindful when doing that, as we all know the old adage; "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." But I'm not a history scholar so I am unable to dive much deeper into that without more research and study. Basically, the flag has been a symbol of freedom and hope. This is why so many immigrants (that includes all our ancestors) came to America. We were a nation of acceptance, hope, and freedom. That is the flag that this next group of people fought for.
The flag also represents the sacrifice that countless men and women have made to protect this country, its borders, and its citizens. For some, they cannot look at a flag without being filled with raw emotion, with memories of war too dark for many of us to imagine. It is a symbol of the sacrifice they were willing to make. Every American soldier who enlisted put his life on the line. No, not every soldier was in active duty in or during war time. But when they committed, they had no idea what their future would hold. They were willing to sacrifice their life for those staying behind to live regular daily lives. That is a sacrifice that no one can deny. John 15:13 reads, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." And these military service members were willing to lay down their life for complete strangers!
On Friday night, President Donald Trump shared his personal views on NFL players kneeling for the national anthem. First, let me be clear that in my opinion, his comments were not presented in a Christ-like matter as is described in 1 Peter 3:15, "with gentleness and respect." Referring to anyone as an SOB and yelling they should be fired is neither gentle nor respectful. However, upon reading some of his tweets and attempting to find a legitimate article regarding his comments, he does have the same freedom that everyone is saying must be protected to share just that, his opinion. I don't have to agree with it, you don't have it agree with it, and none of us have to like it. But he is a human entitled to his opinion. And his opinion appears to be one that if someone kneels for the anthem, that he would terminate them from his company. As long as you don't work for Trump's companies, or kneel, you don't have anything to worry about. But yes, I will agree that his comments were rude and divisive. However, there is some good that has come from his comments; the signs of unity by NFL players and owners today has been humbling and moving. If only it hadn't taken these comments to bring this unity to light, but perhaps that was God's purpose in this moment. This brings us to my final thought.
We now have a choice. When the national anthem is played, the Pledge of Allegiance is said, or a player on TV decides to take some sort of out of the ordinary action when the anthem is performed; we must decide. Do we stand up for America's history; for the men and women who gave up their time, their energy, and their life for the freedom to raise that flag? Or do we kneel for the atrocities that are facing people today, for the injustices that currently plague our land of the free? I will be the first to admit that you can find reasons to kneel - our country has many flaws and needs to return to greatness, and more importantly to godliness. But I cannot convince myself to kneel knowing the disrespect that it may communicate to someone who is or has served this country. For them, it was worth fighting for. It was worth leaving family, friends, and comfort behind. So please, find ways to protest, to stand up for what you believe, to make the world a better place for future generations. But please, find a way to do so without disrespecting the symbol of our country and past generations.
The American flag a/k/a "The Star-Spangled Banner" has represented our freedom, our history, our hope that we have had in America. No, America's past is not all good. There are many injustices that I wish were not a part of our country's history, but they are there nonetheless. We can delete them from history books but not from history. But we must be mindful when doing that, as we all know the old adage; "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." But I'm not a history scholar so I am unable to dive much deeper into that without more research and study. Basically, the flag has been a symbol of freedom and hope. This is why so many immigrants (that includes all our ancestors) came to America. We were a nation of acceptance, hope, and freedom. That is the flag that this next group of people fought for.
The flag also represents the sacrifice that countless men and women have made to protect this country, its borders, and its citizens. For some, they cannot look at a flag without being filled with raw emotion, with memories of war too dark for many of us to imagine. It is a symbol of the sacrifice they were willing to make. Every American soldier who enlisted put his life on the line. No, not every soldier was in active duty in or during war time. But when they committed, they had no idea what their future would hold. They were willing to sacrifice their life for those staying behind to live regular daily lives. That is a sacrifice that no one can deny. John 15:13 reads, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." And these military service members were willing to lay down their life for complete strangers!
On Friday night, President Donald Trump shared his personal views on NFL players kneeling for the national anthem. First, let me be clear that in my opinion, his comments were not presented in a Christ-like matter as is described in 1 Peter 3:15, "with gentleness and respect." Referring to anyone as an SOB and yelling they should be fired is neither gentle nor respectful. However, upon reading some of his tweets and attempting to find a legitimate article regarding his comments, he does have the same freedom that everyone is saying must be protected to share just that, his opinion. I don't have to agree with it, you don't have it agree with it, and none of us have to like it. But he is a human entitled to his opinion. And his opinion appears to be one that if someone kneels for the anthem, that he would terminate them from his company. As long as you don't work for Trump's companies, or kneel, you don't have anything to worry about. But yes, I will agree that his comments were rude and divisive. However, there is some good that has come from his comments; the signs of unity by NFL players and owners today has been humbling and moving. If only it hadn't taken these comments to bring this unity to light, but perhaps that was God's purpose in this moment. This brings us to my final thought.
We now have a choice. When the national anthem is played, the Pledge of Allegiance is said, or a player on TV decides to take some sort of out of the ordinary action when the anthem is performed; we must decide. Do we stand up for America's history; for the men and women who gave up their time, their energy, and their life for the freedom to raise that flag? Or do we kneel for the atrocities that are facing people today, for the injustices that currently plague our land of the free? I will be the first to admit that you can find reasons to kneel - our country has many flaws and needs to return to greatness, and more importantly to godliness. But I cannot convince myself to kneel knowing the disrespect that it may communicate to someone who is or has served this country. For them, it was worth fighting for. It was worth leaving family, friends, and comfort behind. So please, find ways to protest, to stand up for what you believe, to make the world a better place for future generations. But please, find a way to do so without disrespecting the symbol of our country and past generations.
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