By WALLYCE TODD
Staff writer

Today is National Flag Day. This holiday is believed to have originated in 1885. That year, a public school teacher in Fredonia, Wis., arranged for his students to celebrate what the flag stood for on its “birthday,” June 14. This date in 1777 was when the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the young republic.

I, for one, am appreciative of the symbol that is the U.S. flag. It is not holy to me the way God is in my heart; however, as a symbol, it represents a sacred characteristic.
This characteristic is not exclusive to America. In my own experience it is found, first, in the Lord and then, most notably, in this country... the land of the free and home of the brave.
Freedom. That’s what the flag stands for.

Is there any greater gift a human can receive? My own belief in the Triune God is founded on the understanding that we have the free will to choose whether or not we believe in His plan for salvation. The God I know so believes in giving us this choice that He’s willing to let us live eternally absent from His presence if we choose not accept His truth.

That’s an amazing amount of belief and follow-through.
In America, when I see the red, white and blue icon, I am reminded of how precious are the freedoms that we, as American citizens, have been granted.

One flag I saw recently in the local VFW building states: “Freedom is not free.” Though it wasn’t found on the national flag, that sentence represents an important truth…our American freedoms have not been freely purchased. They were bought with a cost. Freedom’s maintenance is costly as well…though it seems that many Americans are not as intimately aware of that as others.

A lot of people say I’m lucky to have traveled outside of our country. I am, indeed, blessed to have done so. I will be forever grateful for the privilege. However, the things I’ve seen and experienced while outside of North Carolina and the U.S. have forever impacted my worldview.

These days, it’s not as easy for me to take for granted such things as my education, my voting rights, my TV, or my air conditioner.

You see, I’ve been to places where you’re “educationally tracked” from an early age. You must follow the path the government gives you regardless of your personal interests or gifts.

In these areas, college is not always an option, whether or not you can find money to pay for it. In some countries, you can’t even attend school unless you can afford a uniform, which is not always possible for children from low-income families.

In other places, I’ve met women who couldn’t vote or hold an office of import in their home countries. They live in regions where the men in their lives have complete control of their destinies, and their legal recourse is limited or nonexistent.

I’ve also lived where you have to pay TV taxes to legally watch any shows. I have traveled to regions where you can’t choose when the electricity is turned on or off. In these places, it doesn’t matter if you’ve paid your bill. You’re at the mercy of the whims of the government.

If you think we have too much or too little government intervention in the U.S. – go live somewhere else and see what you experience. Here, at least, we have the option to vote officials out of office if we don’t like what they’re doing. Many people in the world aren’t free to do such a thing.

I’ve worked in areas where there’s really no place to get out of the suffocating heat or to have some technologically advanced cool air relief. Many Americans don’t have the money to pay for AC, but the likelihood is strong that most of us can go somewhere (a factory, a restaurant or a mall) where we can at least receive a temporary respite.

From the minor (AC, TV) to the major (education, voting rights), all of us in America benefit from what the flag was designed to stand for…freedom. This freedom has allowed creativity to flourish and liberating ideas to advance.

Have there been times when the American flag has been used abusively? Of course. I think the Star of David and the Cross from Calvary stand for beautiful truths. Yet, throughout history, these symbols have also been used by humans for harm. I don’t dismiss their positive emblematic nature now, just because others have distorted their intended meaning in the past.
So, today, I’m going to spend some time thanking God for the freedoms I have as an American. I’m going to look upon local examples of “Old Glory,” and remind myself of all that I have to be grateful for as a citizen of the United States.

I don’t think there’s any better way to summarize today than to end with a few verses from Lee Greenwood’s song, “God Bless the U.S.A.” The words resonate with me. Maybe, they will do so with you:
If tomorrow all the things were gone I’d worked for all my life,

And I had to start again with just my children and my wife.

I’d thank my lucky stars to be living here today,
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom and they can’t take that away.

And I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.

And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.

And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.

‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land… God bless the U.S.A.