Allegiance

At the last event I attended where the Pledge of Allegiance was recited, I was a little dismayed to see how many people were not standing up, not placing their hand over their heart, and many who were not listening or having a side conversation. These are just traditions meant to pay respect, but if our culture is losing the simple traditions, then how much so is our culture actually losing the concept of Allegiance?

In Medieval times, a pledge of allegiance was meant to the death, and many paid with their lives in order to maintain their allegiance to a cause, a country, or to a King or other leader. I was thinking about how many people don’t concern themselves with our Pledge of Allegiance, or worse, those who mumble their way through it and don’t really think about what it means.

I started thinking about what I would be willing to give my life for… It is a fairly short list, but this is what I came up with:
God
My family
My country
To protect/save others in need

If you are wondering if I just finished watching the Three Musketeers or King Arthur, the answer is no. It just seems like the older I get and the more I experience and learn, my sense of what is important in this life migrates back to the substance of character. When we go to the grave, all we take with us are our accomplishments in life, and who we were as a person.

If you have been reading my blog all along, then you know that Tracy and I are Christians. We have faith that our actions in life have repercussions that last an eternity. The time we spend in this life may seem long, but is actually just a passing moment in the grand scheme of things. I believe we will all kneel one day and acknowledge Jesus as Lord (be it for Him or against Him). We will have to account for our lives and I’d like my account to be one of substance, not one consisting of the frivolous pursuit of the insignificant. That leads me to believe that development of character is more important than striving for a new car, a bigger and better house, or being consumed by material pursuits. There is nothing wrong with those things if they fall in the right order of priorities, but they should not cost you your integrity, your compassion and generosity, or the belief in something larger than yourself.

You may be wondering what in the world this has to do with a coffee shop blog. Well, the answer is ‘absolutely nothing’. I just wanted to take a minute and thank our troops all around the world who have pledged their allegiance to our great country, and bigger than that, I wanted to publicly announce my allegiance to Jesus. I know some of you who read this blog are Christians, and some of you are not. Either way, I would encourage you to do some soul searching, think about what is most important to you, and determine where your allegiances lie. You may choose to change some of your priorities based on those thoughts…

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag:

"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."

should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute.