My Pledge Will Stand

I pledge allegiance to the flag,
Of the United States of America,
And to the Republic for which it stands,
One Nation under God,
Indivisible,
With liberty and justice for all.

I don't know how many times I've repeated that pledge, but it's a lot. Sadly, not as many times in the last half of my life as the first. I do, however, consider that pledge to be binding. I have pledged my allegiance, my loyalty, to this flag and the nation represented.

This election will not change that. Nor will the next. I am an American. I may not like all that is going on in her right now, but America is my country. She is my homeland, the piece of earth God has granted me to enjoy. I am invested in her, and united with her. 'Til God calls me to my true home, or directs that I should move elsewhere, this is where I stand firm.

I made a promise. A pledge. And I intend to keep it.

You don't bail out when life gets hard.

Do we have our problems? Absolutely. Our nation is not perfect. It cannot be. It is ruled and inhabited by us, meaning failed and fallen men and women. We are not perfect (refer to Romans 3:23 if you doubt that), and therefore the nation we make up cannot be perfect. We've made some bad decisions, committed some horrendous errors, and done some stupid things.

That pretty much sums up my life, too. If you only want to look at the dark side. On the other hand, we as a nation have done some incredibly wonderful things, made the right decisions in hard times, and shown wisdom in many ways. That's why we are worth standing with, fighting for, and believing in.

You see, you don't give up when life gets hard. Frighteningly, that is the all-too-common attitude anymore. If my job gets hard, I quit. If church gets uncomfortable, I walk away. If marriage isn't one long honeymoon, I bail out. If this country isn't what I think it should be, I bash it and break my pledge.

Here's the reality folks: The grass isn't any greener on the other side of the fence. A whole bunch of people have learned that lesson the hard way.

I choose a different path.

I choose to stand firm. That's what God says over and over in His Word. Stand firm. Keep your word. Honor your pledge and your oath. You can disagree, and that's OK--I've disagreed with people before--but that's how I see it. I've given my word; now it's time to prove it.

Whatever comes of this election, I will remain loyal to this country. My first allegiance is to my God. I am pledged to my wife. And I am bound by my word to the United States of America. Men and women may turn her in a direction she was never meant to go, but that will not change my pledge to stand with this One Nation under God. I may have to distance myself from her leaders, but I will not abandon her.

Because America is bigger than a president. She's bigger than Congress. She's even more than the consensus of her constituents in any given generation. She's a nation founded on a belief in God and deference to His rule, and it is to that ideal to which I pledge my allegiance.

As I've said in other vows I've taken,
For better or for worse,
For richer or for poorer,
In sickness and in health:

I pledge allegiance to the flag,
Of the United States of America,
And to the Republic for which it stands,
One Nation under God,
Indivisible,
With liberty and justice for all.