I am the Flag, by Ruth Apperson Rous

 

I am the Flag

by Ruth Apperson Rous

 

I am the flag of the United States of America.

I was born on June 14, 1777, in Philadelphia.

There the Continental Congress adopted my stars and stripes as the national flag.

My thirteen stripes alternating red and white, with a union of thirteen white stars in a field of blue, represented a new constellation, a new nation dedicated to the personal and religious liberty of mankind.

Today fifty stars signal from my union, one for each of the fifty sovereign states in the greatest constitutional republic the world has ever known.

My colors symbolize the patriotic ideals and spiritual qualities of the citizens of my country.

My red stripes proclaim the fearless courage and integrity of American men and boys and the self-sacrifice and devotion of American mothers and daughters.

My white stripes stand for liberty and equality for all.

My blue is the blue of heaven, loyalty, and faith.

I represent these eternal principles: liberty, justice, and humanity.

I embody American freedom: freedom of speech, religion, assembly, the press, and the sanctity of the home.

I typify that indomitable spirit of determination brought to my land by Christopher Columbus and by all my forefathers - the Pilgrims, Puritans, settlers at James town and Plymouth.

I am as old as my nation.

I am a living symbol of my nation's law: the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.

I voice Abraham Lincoln's philosophy: "A government of the people, by the people,for the people."

I stand guard over my nation's schools, the seedbed of good citizenship and true patriotism.

I am displayed in every schoolroom throughout my nation; every schoolyard has a flag pole for my display.

Daily thousands upon thousands of boys and girls pledge their allegiance to me and my country.

I have my own law Public Law 829, "The Flag Code" - which definitely states my correct use and display for all occasions and situations.

I have my special day, Flag Day. June 14 is set aside to honor my birth.

Americans, I am the sacred emblem of your country. I symbolize your birthright, your heritage of liberty purchased with blood and sorrow.

I am your title deed of freedom, which is yours to enjoy and hold in trust for posterity.

If you fail to keep this sacred trust inviolate, if I am nullified and destroyed, you and your children will become slaves to dictators and despots.

Eternal vigilance is your price of freedom.

As you see me silhouetted against the peaceful skies of my country, remind yourself that I am the flag of your country, that I stand for what you are - no more, no less.

Guard me well, lest your freedom perish from the earth.

Dedicate your lives to those principles for which I stand: "One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

I was created in freedom. I made my first appearance in a battle for human liberty.

God grant that I may spend eternity in my "land of the free and the home of the brave" and that I shall ever be known as "Old Glory," the flag of the United States of America.

God Repurposes Our Experiences

 

God Doesn't Waste Anything

 

God does not waste the hard things that have happened to you. Pasts are repurposed. He heals you and then reveals how you can use your experiences to help someone struggling in a similar area.

That’s the way it works, and it is a good thing. The end of a tragedy is often the beginning of a new phase. You may discover a new purpose and a cause to advance after a loss or heartbreak.

Comfort comes in knowing you can be an encouragement to someone else, though the hard times you experienced were not easy. Others benefit from your insights, grace, and acceptance.

Think of all the organizations formed by those who saw a need and knew they were a good fit: Their personal experiences stream-lined with opportunities to minister to others and meet people’s needs.

Those in a crisis mode look for people who understand and empathize. They have a great need to talk and talk, to get it out, and to let the emotion run its course. Their need splashes on others.

What people need is not so much the advice as it is the listening and understanding. Overcomers listen well to hurting individuals. They relate as they offer hope where none existed on the outset.

Care and concern repurpose the bad for the good.  Thank you for caring.


*Photo by Nathan Dumlao, Unsplash

FOR FATHERS, SONS & DAUGHTERS ON FATHER'S DAY

My Dad and Son working together in the orchard.

In 2012 Pastor Pete asked me to speak for the Sunday sermon on Father's Day. I'd had a couple students wounded by their fathers that year. One teenage girl had seen her family split up as a result of something her mother had done. After which her father moved to Texas. She told me that when she called her father he told her to never call him again. It was breaking her heart. 

    
A fourth grade boy burst out crying in class, sobbing his heart out. I took him aside and asked if something had happened at recess; he said no, that wasn't it, "It's just I miss my dad. I haven't seen him in a long time. I don’t ever get to see him anymore." I talked to Mom and learned that Dad had left them a few months before, moved to Oregon, and he hadn't seen his son since. Those were two of many stories I'd heard over the years, at least one a year. Children get broken hearts. Many have father wounds. 

 “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you… know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in haven give good things to those who ask him!”*


I taught from the passage about how human fathers, being good fathers, give bread, not a stone, to their children, how Father God gives good gifts to his children. I talked about how one man, a man I had recently dated, had told me I was too hard on my son, a then senior in high school, and that I expected him to be perfect. He said I needed to let my son grow up and find his own way, and that I needed to believe in my son. His words shocked me.

Sons, SIL, and Grandsons

The next day I asked Son 3 if he thought I was too hard on him. He asked why I was asking. I told him what my BF had said to me. Son 3 paused, and then spoke carefully, "Yes. I think you're too hard on me. I think you're too hard on all of us. We're good kids compared to most kids." The next time my BF came to visit, Son 3 stuck around. He even sat with us in church, which was not the norm. My son felt validated, understood, and respected. That was significant for both of us. My BF had acted like a good father, noticing my son's frustration and by being his advocate. (Son 3 is second from left in the picture)

People's Stories

We don't know other people's stories. One Father's Day I said to the smiley grocery clerk, one of my favorites because of his friendliness, "If this applies, Happy Father's Day." He looked at me, paused, seemed lost in thought, like when you bring back a memory. He said quietly. "I haven’t thought about that in a long time. Yes, I was a father once. She passed away 21 years ago." I felt like a fool and mumbled, "I'm sorry." He gave a sideways grin like 'things happen.' I walked out of the store feeling different, sad, sorry I'd said anything but changed by that brief exchange. 

Father Wounds

 

If you don't have a father or you had a dad who wasn't available or wasn’t what he should have been, today may have some weirdness or pain attached to it. I wish it had been different for you. I don't know if this helps but I can truthfully say, your Heavenly Father loves you. He cares for you. He does. You are loved by a father who understands you.

My daughter and son-in-law with their 4 biological and 4 foster children

It is like "Father Knows Best" when my son-in-law comes home. All the kids run to him, jabbering a mile a minute. The two youngest foster children always say, "Hi Daddy," and he always responds by saying their names, "Hi 'Ariel' Hi 'Jenny'" even when they repeatedly say it. He is a hands-on daddy who, along with my daughter, parents intentionally. It’s a blessing to watch them do this thing.

Thank you to all fathers on this Fathers Day. You are more important than you will ever know. Your love and care means everything to your kids, and it will be remembered, if not now, in the future. God bless you.

For those fathers who have a hard time being a father: It is never too late to work at being a good father. It will always matter. You matter. Look for ways to speak life to your kids. Acknowledge where you messed up, where you failed them. Apologize. Say you're sorry, but only if you mean it. Repent. Give it some time. Let God do His perfect work in you and your children. God bless you.

For adult sons and daughters with father wounds: Your wound can heal, can cease giving you pain, until it is more like a scar and no longer something that angers you. It is an important area in you to pay attention to. Emotional wounding is that way. You can't change your father but you can change you. Father God will help you if you ask Him to. I promise you, He will. I wish you well in this. God bless you.

*Matthew 7:9-11 NIV

THE SONG OF A SOUL SET FREE

THE GOOD

You have only one life.

I have shared my life with you that it might shed light on the past, on the present, and on the richness of living an intimate life with the Triune God. Life has much to offer the human race.

Life would pass you by without making a dent on your soul, should you not open your heart to the beauty of the natural world, the inner world, and the God world. 

All three impact your soul.

Darkness and evil have tried to choke out the goodness in life like how weeds choke out a fruit bearing crop. One has to push back, fight against the wrong to encourage the right, the best.

What I have written is my attempt to brighten the corner where I am so that it might brighten the corner where you are. Your conscience will be awakened or it will be darkened. 

It is up to you.

Influences impact choices. Choices impact futures. Futures impact the world to come. I think life is worth fighting for, and the future is worth saving. True good gives goodness to the world.

All the natural goods are gifts from God that make life one of beauty. Injuries, hardships, and pain come to everyone. Joy, peace, and love offset life’s tragedies as hope springs eternal. 

A life awakened to God is the song of a soul enlivened and set free.