Thoughts on America

Today in church we sang America the Beautiful. The first verse came on autopilot, but then the second verse hit me a little bit. I thought of the pilgrims beating 'freedom' across the 'wilderness', and how grossly skewed that view is. But then came the line pleading "God mend thy every flaw." This is not a perfect country, and we do NOT have a spotless history, so we require God's forgiveness - as a nation.

America, confirm thy soul in self-control. In light of recent months, self-control, one of the lost American values, is direly needed. Not just regular citizens driving aggressively, or maxing out their credit cards on cheap consumer 'goods', but politicians and public figures acting selfishly, and them and us expecting them to get away with it.
America, confirm thy liberty in law. I won't go into it, but I have been severely disappointed with some of the Supreme Court rulings. There have been rulings that I wished had gone another way, or that I disagreed with. But there have been at least three rulings I can think of that I believe to be both morally and legally bad decisions. Law is about good governance, not politics and on-upping the next guy.

Our true heroes are those who more than self, their country love, and mercy more than life.

Will we see the day where all success is nobleness? Where we honor the people who are striving to be good people? I think that's what it means by God refining our gold. The success is not the gold, but nobleness, and every gain, divine. And that's why a true patriot will see beyond the years, and his dream will not be for political gain, fame, or fortune, but for the future and his posterity.

And in the end, as in the beginning, the blessing of God's grace on the land is brotherhood. Not elitism. Not partisanship. Not class division. Fellowship. E pluribus unum. One.

America, the Beautiful - Katharine Lee Bates

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine!

O Beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam,
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!