At the time of this writing, it’s the Fourth of July and for the last few days I’ve been thinking about what it’s like to live in the United States. During my entire lifetime it has always seemed fashionable to criticize the country we live in and it’s the same today. And, there are plenty of reasons to criticize. Candidate choices for leadership are underwhelming. Big money has too much influence on our government. It’s not unusual for our leaders to appear dysfunctional. It’s hard to make ends meet. Health care is a challenge, especially if something major happens in the family. The people in our country are polarized on many issues. And this is certainly an incomplete list.
So, with all these problems, why am I thankful that I live here in the U.S.?
Here are a couple of thoughts.
Where there are Humans, there are Problems
I haven’t traveled the world much but over the last few years my family and I have had the privilege of visiting Europe, Japan, Mexico, Canada, and Iceland. It’s been wonderful! We rode on high-speed trains and saw historic sights and met amazing people and ate great food. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It sparked an interest in the countries we visited and after I was home, I did some research on the countries we spent time in (and a few other countries too). And what I found was: there are problems everywhere.
It turned out one country we visited has an unstable government. Another country I researched has a serious corruption problem. The immigration policies of the countries we visited are very restrictive. And the culture in several countries we visited aren’t welcoming to immigrants or expats. There’s political controversy in the countries we visited. In other words, there seem to be serious problems no matter what country I researched.
I have a friend who travels far more than anyone I know. And something he tells his kids is this:
“The United States is the worst country, except for all the other countries.”
Where there are people, there are problems. And when I think of another country and what it would be like to live there, I think I’m just trading one set of problems for another set of problems.
Why I’m Thankful I Live in the United States
In 2023, among adults throughout the world, 16% said they would like to move to a different country. Among countries where these potential migrants desired to move to, the U.S. was at the top of the list. About 18% of potential migrants want to move to the U.S. The number two most popular country has about half as many people wanting to move there–that country is Canada, the country in the world most similar to the United States. (see Ray and Pugliese, Gallup)
There are reasons for that popularity. And they’re the same reasons I’m thankful I live here. If you’re willing to work hard, the economic opportunity in the U.S. is greater than any other country. We have a friend from Ecuador who had his own business and he told us if he works hard here in the United States, he can earn a better living. If he works hard in Ecuador, he might be able to stay employed. Even considering recent events concerning illegal immigrants, compared to other countries the immigration policies here are liberal. Our government is stable. When it comes to wars, our history here on U.S. soil has been peaceful since 1865. Whereas the list of conflicts in Europe, for example, is far longer and there’s a war in progress even today. We enjoy a rich cultural diversity among our people. We have amazing natural beauty with a vast and diverse landscape. Our national parks are spectacular. Our states have some measure of independence from the federal government offering people a variety of different cultural experiences. I feel like I could spend the rest of my life exploring the United States and still not see anywhere near everything I want to see.
So, I’m thankful. When one of our family members arrived at our house this morning for our Fourth of July celebration, without thinking I said, “Happy Thanksgiving!”
I corrected myself and said Happy Independence Day but then I expressed my gratitude for this country and shared how blessed I feel because I live in the U.S. (with all its imperfections).
As David said in Psalm 16:
“The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.”
I thank God He allows me to live in the United States.
Notes:
Julie Ray and Anita Pugliese, Desire to Migrate Remains at Record High, Gallup, October 31, 2024
List of conflict in Europe, Wikipedia
Kurt Cameron Bennett best known for his book Love Like Jesus. After attending church and studying the Bible for most of his adult life, he was challenged by a pastor to study Jesus. That led to an obsessive seven-year deep dive. After pouring over Jesus’ every interaction with another human being, he realized he was doing a much better job of studying Jesus’ words than he was following Jesus’ words and example. The honest and fearless revelations of Bennett’s own moral failures affirm he wrote Love Like Jesus for himself as much as for others. He currently lives in Hillsboro, Oregon, just a few miles from his son Gabe, daughter (-in-law) Charise, and grandson Andrew. He has another son Nate and daughter (-in-law) Anastasia who live in Sammamish, Washington. His blog, God Running is a place for anyone who wants to (or even anyone who wants to want to) love Jesus more deeply, follow Jesus more closely, and love people the way Jesus wants us to.
Featured Image from wallpapercave.com
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