Grateful for the Red, White, and Blue: Why History and Freedom Still Matter

Well, I’ll be honest right out of the gate—I haven't exactly been keeping up with my weekly blogging. Life has a way of turning completely chaotic, but I'm not going to use that as an excuse. I’m back today because there is something heavy on my heart that I’ve been wanting to talk about: patriotism, the current state of our nation, and why a look back at our past is exactly what we need to navigate our present.

Before we dive into the deep end, let’s take a quick trip to history class. If you know anything about me, you know I am a massive history nerd. I love it so much that I actually minor in history for my bachelor's degree. I firmly believe that if you live in the United States, you need to understand our nation's history and the bedrock principles we were founded upon. Without that foundation, we lose our way. As the great philosopher George Santayana famously warned—a quote famously echoed by leaders throughout American history:

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

When we refuse to learn from our history, we just end up repeating the same cycles over and over again. The circumstances change, but the common threads of human nature remain exactly the same.

To understand where we are, we have to look at where we started. The majority of the people who founded America came from Great Britain. They weren’t inherently a completely different radical subset of humanity, but they realized something vital: monarchy, tyranny, and the suppression of human liberty simply do not work.

If you haven’t read the Declaration of Independence recently, I highly encourage you to sit down and read it. It is a masterpiece. It explicitly lays out the heartbeat of our nation—that we are all uniquely created and endowed with the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our U.S. Constitution and its amendments protect freedoms that were completely unprecedented in human history, and they remain a profound privilege to this day. It’s no wonder people from all over the world strive to come to America; we are a beacon of free speech, freedom of religion, and individual liberty.

Most importantly, our country was built on a foundational faith in God. It’s stamped right onto our currency: In God We Trust. The concept of liberty isn't just a political theory; it’s a spiritual truth. As the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:17:

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

I was born in the United States, and more specifically, born in the great state of Texas. Because of that, I believe that no matter where you stand politically or what your personal opinions are, we should all share a deep sense of pride and gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy.

Think about the daily privileges we take for granted. The fact that I can freely run Christian ministries, work in student ministry at my church, carry my Bible in public, and blast Christian music in my car without a second thought is an incredible blessing. In many countries right now, simply holding a Bible can get you severely persecuted or imprisoned.

When I talk about patriotism, I’m not saying you have to blindly agree with or be proud of every single thing our government does. America is not perfect. Humanity is flawed, and as Romans 3:23 reminds us, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of. God." Nations made of imperfect people will make mistakes and face seasons of brokenness.

True patriotism isn't about worshipping a government; it's about loving the ideals of our country and being profoundly thankful for the freedoms we have. It’s about standing proud during the Pledge of Allegiance, singing the Star-Spangled Banner with gratitude, and honoring the brave souls who fought and died to preserve the liberties we enjoy today. As President Abraham Lincoln so beautifully prayed in his Gettysburg Address, we must highly resolve:

"...that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom..."

I don’t always love every political decision made in Washington, but I deeply love this country. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to live, and I am beyond blessed to live out my faith boldly and with zero shame.

As we navigate this beautiful season of the year stretching from Memorial Day to the Fourth of July, let’s take intentional time to honor and thank our military servicemen, servicewomen, and veterans who protect our borders and our rights.

To anyone reading this who has lost a loved one in service to our country: please know that you are seen, you are heard, you are being prayed for, and you are deeply loved. Your sacrifice is not forgotten.

Let's hold fast to our faith, remember our history, and never take our freedom for granted.

Connect

Join the journey with faith and hope

Email

kaitlin@frontierfaith.org

© 2026. Created by Salt & Stone Web Design. All rights reserved.