The real promise of America
- Kyle Snyder: Live on Purpose
- July 5, 2019
- 1401
Last week we commemorated the 243rd anniversary of the birth of this great country. I for one wonder a lot about whether we have lost our way as a country or not.
Some people might be wondering if I might be talking about the government. You can keep reading because this is by no means about the government. In fact, when talking about the promise of America, the government has nothing to do with it. The real promise of America has to do with all of us, the people who live in this great country.
When the first groups of people came here a little over 400 years ago, people helped one another. It was a way of ensuring each other’s survival.
That was brand-new territory. They did not know what was out there, so they had to have each other’s backs just to get by. They didn’t know what kind of animals were out in the woods or what all was dangerous.
They had to team up in order to keep each other safe. They lived in communities where they watched out for each other and, I like to believe, wanted the best for each other.
It can seem like nobody is looking out for anybody but themselves anymore. In a way that is true. We have a lot as far as technology, where we don’t have to be dependent on our neighbors so much anymore.
However, I think we should look out for our neighbors. If they need help, go and help them. If they need an ear to listen to, give them both ears. It is no big job to be neighborly, but it will require us to put ourselves out there and be a friend to our neighbors.
I think also the promise of America is the ability to dream big. As I think about my country, I am heartbroken because too many of us are not exercising the ability to dream big anymore.
I get it. Some people are in a good place where they are now, and I think that is great. However, if we don’t like where we are in life, we can change. I am a believer that if we have enough faith in ourselves and in God and if it is God’s will, we can make the changes necessary to live a better, more fulfilling life.
People look around and they say they can’t be neighborly or make a change in that way. They can’t with that attitude.
The promise of America is every day we can make a change in our behavior or our circumstances; no one is going to make us stay the same. Every day we can do small things and make little adjustments here and there to get us where we want to be. We can pray and ask God how he wants us to deal with the changes we need to make.
Start trying to make small talk with your neighbors when you see them out. Go on a drive or a walk to clear your head. Take a different way to work, read about something you would like to see change in your life and invite your neighbor over to sit outside and visit.
That is the America we can live in if we all just try a little harder.