June 14 is officially Flag Day in America. It commemorates this date in 1777 when our country officially approved and accepted the design for our first American flag. Betsy Ross is credited with coming up with the design which congress approved. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson declared June 14th as National Flag Day. Though it has become a holiday overlooked by many, some cities still hold annual parades and celebrate as they have done from the beginning.
Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, but still it deserves to be remembered and everyone is encouraged to fly our flag proudly for the entire week. As in the original design, the flag today has thirteen stripes of red and white to represent the original 13 colonies and one star for each state of the union.
As we celebrate, let’s remember the trials and many wars our country fought in order to protect the freedoms the flag represents. Many willingly gave their lives in battle in order that our flag might continue to fly. It stands on the surface of the moon as a reminder also of the many strides our country has made.
America would not have become the nation it did, a refuge and re-starting place for so many from other countries, had it not been based on the foundation it was. A foundation rooted in the belief that there is only one God and every citizen should have the right to worship Him as they see fit. Many times, the meaning of this truth has been challenged and a basic love and appreciation for our country has turned into protests and destruction.
From refusing to accept the truth and respect our country’s history, we have seen our national monuments destroyed, statues being removed…along with the ten Commandments. America is now, as Lincoln said at Gettysburg, “testing whether this nation, or any nation (conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal) so conceived and so dedicated can long endure.”
Can we, or will we, stand up and continue to fight for justice and liberty for all? It should break the heart of every American to hear a young person today say they are not proud to be living in the United States of America. Let’s resolve to change that perspective and get back to being one nation under God. Pray for our country and our leaders as we celebrate our flag today…and may God continue to bless America. Amen