Patriotism Archives - Lisa Colón DeLay

American Proud

Americans love to be Americans, or they are embarrassed about it. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. I can imagine visiting other places, and enjoying it immensely, but I wouldn’t trade my citizenship for anything. This land is my home. Independence Day is a happy day!

Do we take our freedom seriously? Do the picnics, firecrackers, flag shirts, and bbq help us realize what our country is about? What helps you reflect on what America is?

Patriotism is a sharp and slippery knife, though. And here’s why. It can rally us to be our best and most selfless, yet it can also make us blind and foolish. I’m not just talking about creative ways to don the American flag either (see above). I talking about seeing wrongly.

Americans have the terrible tendency to feel entitled because we have freedoms. We get complacent and think life should be easier. Or we may spread the sentiment that abundance is a right, not a product earned of hard work.

And I can’t help but think that the way our country was birthed is both a blessing and a curse. We told the British empire, “You are NOT the boss of us!” That brazen attitude has dogged us as well, in our country’s history. Americans are generally good people, and quite bullheaded.

We prize independence and resist authority, yet this can shortchange lessons learned only a more formindable way, through community and mature conference. Our rebel roots are all too visible when it comes to finding common ground, and making thoughtful and incremental changes for the better. We long so often for revolution instead. May it not undo us, friends.

On this July 4th day, the thing I am most astonished by is the high cost of freedom through the lives and sacrifice of those who defend us. Our liberty has been paid for by the most precious thing, blood.

Such a high price should give us pause as our hearts fill with the joy and satisfaction (some term “pride”) from living in such an amazing place.

Have a happy celebration time today, friends. Let freedom ring.

What is your favorite aspect of the celebration of Independence Day?

WEDNESDAY's 5 Min. retreat (3 of 5)

The 2010 Election is barraging us at every turn. Is a break (or mini-retreat) possible? You Bet ‘Cha! whoops….um. I mean yes, yes it really is.

Every politician tries to offer his or her constituents HOPE.

It’s a word that gets tossed around A LOT. Just like the word CHANGE. It makes sense to offer this, when most of the time candidates can only hope there will be hope, and hope there will be change (for the better).

Today, let’s think about hope and change–which are quite linked–in ways that it applies to us personally, and how it relates to the source of all Hope–our Creator and Savior.

Thank you for coming here on day 3 of the 5 Minute Retreat in this 5 day series. Ed Cyzewski invited me to carrying on with his 5 minute Retreat series.

Before we start, please
prepare yourself to take a short rejuvenating break, by eliminating potential distractions. (Silence your phone, computer, shut your door, etc.)

– Quickly (not giving it too much thought) jot down a few things that give you hope. (If you don’t have paper, think of 3 things, and keep them in the front of your mind.)

Read over these things a few times, and attach onto one item you’ve thought of, and roll it over in your mind.

-What has given you hope? What has produced change?

Lift these things to God, and ask God to fill your heart with hope, from his Everlasting well of Hope. God is Hope, epitomized. True hope comes from the Almighty God.

Today, as you go through your day, try to say/pray the words, “God give me Hope that comes from you.”

I would love to hear from you.

Do you enjoy these mini retreats? If so, there are 2 more coming. If not, have HOPE, and hang in there until Saturday.

Thanks for visiting.

-Lisa

Ready for Change We Can Believe In?

Yes, for some of us–it’s getting depressing out there. The 10.2% unemployment rate is taking it’s toll. The number of people who are discouraged from looking for work pushes this number to over 17%.

It looks like “Change We Can Believe In” might have to be a kind of diaper change, because the whole package has gotten a bit soggy with, well, you know.

I want to encourage something that’s hard to come up with right now. Hope. Now, I Know we were offered “hope,” or having audacity of hope, about a year ago, okay more than a year ago, but I’m talking about something entirely different-A different perspective of the thing we term “hope.”

Hope really doesn’t come from someone’s promises, or vision-casting. It doesn’t come from having prosperity, or a cleaner environment. It actually comes from aligning/joining our own hope with a Hope that comes from something outside all of us.

The Source of goodness, the Source of Love, the Source of Hope itself, is not just something to pin a fragile string of our hope to, like a shinny balloon that sails into the sky, and makes us feel better.

It’s very much stronger than that. Ultimate Hope, Love, Goodness, is a person. The ideal we think of, with such things, is such because there is an origin to each one, in the first place. We wouldn’t even know about ultimate Hope, unless there was an Eternal Mind to be it, and eminent it, to begin with.

So really, our hope transcends circumstances. Good news, indeed!

And yet, we can do much to change some of our circumstances. When we are given a soggy diaper full of, you know what, we can start a change we can believe in.

Stay strong. Keep your confidence going.

Take the quiz-Are you hyper-Patriotic?

To be clear: I LOVE my country, and I’m so happy to have the privilege of being born here, and living here! I am indebted to those who’ve struggled, and died to keep us free. I know our freedom isn’t free. My support is fully behind all those who so bravely serve us, and our prosperous country, in the armed forces.

whoops! Van proves English IS a difficult language.

While it’s important to encourage fidelity to one’s country, sometimes what is termed “patriotism” can actually be the manifestation of other, less-than-worthy, vices. Selfish, exclusionary attitudes, callousness, malice, a favored political agenda, or certain policy of the moment can be masked by so-called patriotism. For instance, some say it’s patriotic to pay taxes, but others say it’s patriotic to free citizens from the burden of taxes. I’m not creating this quiz to espouse my political leanings, only to garner awareness that “love of country” shouldn’t be confused with self-interest. And, I hope to do so in an enteraining way. You can leave your feedback, or other entertaining questions, to think will tease out hyper-patriotism tendencies of visitors.

Take this quiz to find out if (so-called) patriotism is getting the best of you. (And, yes, it’s meant to be funny/amusing, at least mildly.)

-Answer True or False-

1. You own more than two pieces of apparel that includes the stars and stripes. (Bonus “True” if at some time in your life you had a matching flag shirt with someone else in your family.)

2. You have somehow thought of God as American.

3. You wear a flag pin, or tie clip more than once per month, or think about doing it, (especially when you see someone else donning one.)

4. You’ve practiced folding the flag into a triangle, just for something to do. (Bonus “True” if you like to see how perfectly tight and pointed the corners can come out, and engage in multiple refolds.)

5. When you see Old Glory at half mast, you imagine that it must feel sad.

6. Seeing seasonal flags, NASCAR flags, and the like, erected over a porch, makes you want to puke, because it seems the flag of the U.S.A. should be flown instead.

7. You make judgments about who should be allowed to sport a flag pin, and /or who is truly patriotic.

8. You think people who criticize the political side you oppose should move to another country.

9. You are strangely drawn to the Uncle Sam character, (even if you aren’t sure why.)

10. Your church says the pledge of allegiance to the flag, and you find that a great relief. (Or you wish your church would say the pledge.)

READY TO FIND OUT THE RESULTS?

First add up your all your True scores.

1-3 True answers means you have either a mild, healthy, or manageable level of patriotism. OR possibly you could be a commy. I would need another test to sort all of that out.

4-8 True answers means you’re in big danger of making a weird sign at a rally that you’ll likely be sorry for later, if you happen to progress as a person. Take some internal inventory, and check to see if your patriotism is misplaced, or there because you’re just a super insecure individual. There is hope for you to adjust your outlook, and grow into a deeper understanding of patriotism. Best wishes!

8-10 True answers means you are at the point of being delusional, and you probably suspect I’m a spy for Iran or Russia for even putting this “humorous self-test” out there. You’re wondering what the #@*% kind of American am I for ever questioning American patriotism in the first place. How could there be too much patriotism, you ask? This test is probably lost on you. But, it’s okay, God is in control. We’re all a bit afraid of you, but you help us draw more sufficiency in our Redeemer. Sorry if the premise upset you.

Did I miss anything? :)

What question/s SHOULD be in there? Thanks for playing!

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS WAS MEANT for the PURPOSES of HUMOR. My hope is that you have some.

God Bless the USA!

whoops. That’s still okay, right?

Well, anyway, peace out.

-Lisa