On Independence Day, we have a lot to be grateful for. Let’s get started…
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For Independence Day, Guideposts editor Rick Hamlin offers seven reasons to give thanks for our country and its citizens.
Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
1 of 7 Joy @Work
Have you ever noticed how hard we Americans work? From the colleagues in the office who put in extra hours at their computers to the road workers in their fluorescent vests, flagging you down, to the bus drivers and delivery boys and the waitresses who give you a little extra without your even asking. Lord, I thank you for the joy of hard work.
You smile and people smile back. The lady in the supermarket check-out line, the kid on the sidewalk, the exuberant punctuation in an email or Facebook message—surely the smiley face is the most popular emoticon. I like to think that all those smiles are reminders of how God smiles on us. Next time you smile, think of it as a way to pass along God’s blessings.
Everywhere you turn you see someone running, jumping, riding a bike, straddling a horse, throwing a ball, shooting hoops, catching a Frisbee, swinging a golf club, skating, sledding, skiing, swimming, diving, boarding, stretching, lifting, hiking, dancing, leaping, groaning, grinning, reveling in their God-given skills in gyms, parks, fields, pools, playgrounds and the great outdoors. Praise God.
God created the heavens and earth, and we mirror that act with our own—and what a creative nation we are in books, movies, paintings, blogs, poems, songs, sculpture, symphonies, dances, hand-hewn pots, whittled sticks, needlework, sewing, knitting. With our endless creativity we reach out to each other and to the Spirit, our souls aspiring to heaven.
Credit: Getty Images
5 of 7 Natural Beauty
America is simply gorgeous to look at and let’s give God the credit. Spring-fed lakes, snow-dusted mountains, grassy meadows, rough rocky peaks, trees reaching for the skies, fields stretching as far as the eye can see, flowers, fruit, beaches at the water’s edge, amber waves of grain waving back to us. Look out, look up, look in, look how the landscape is good.
We are a noisy nation. Listen to America sing and talk on headphones and radios, computers and TV’s. Hear the humming of machines that keep us warm and cool and wash our dishes and clean our streets. Hear us yammering at each other and calling out loud to God—praising him with our voices. Then listen to America get silent in the middle of the night when all you can hear is the dew dropping from a leaf. I give thanks for that too.
Credit: Getty Images
7 of 7 Love of the Lord
I’m an editor, and I can’t begin to print or write about all the kind, healing, charitable things people—our people—are doing for each other. Feeding the poor, clothing the hungry, healing the sick, lifting others’ spirits, giving because in giving we receive far more than we can ever give. God love the Americans who show their love of God to one another, reaching “the least of these” with the most of their gifts.
In Held in His Hand, you’ll find stories showcasing God’s interventions that provide safety in danger, offer reassurance in times of exhaustion or grief, foster friendships and support, and guide individuals on their journeys.
