The Best Country

[Some patriotism] is not a sentiment but a belief: a firm, even prosaic belief that our own nation, in sober fact, has long been, and still is markedly superior to all others. I once ventured to say to an old clergyman who was voicing this sort of patriotism, “But, sir, aren’t we told that every people thinks its own men the bravest and its own women the fairest in the world?” He replied with total gravity—he could not have been graver if he had been saying the Creed at the altar—“Yes, but in England it’s true.”

-CS Lewis, The Four Loves

I’ve had the opportunity to travel to three different countries in the past few months.  What I saw and realized is that people in the Czech Republic and Scotland and England love their country just as much as we love America.  They love their country with all its quirks and imperfections, perhaps even for all its quirks and imperfections.  As we wrap up celebrations of our nation’s birthday, it’s good for us to remember that our country isn’t perfect, nor has it ever been.  No matter who is president or which party is in control, America will always have flaws.  We can love our country even when it disappoints us, fails us, or gets it wrong.  And we can do this for two reasons.  First, because America is our country.  She may not be perfect, but she’s ours.  Second, because we already belong to a perfect kingdom, one that cannot fail, we don’t need our country to be perfect or even the best.  Our hope is firmly set on the kingdom of God, a kingdom that will prevail above all earthly powers and nations.