america.

ok...i know this might come off as intensely cheesy, especially today...but i have to say it because saying things is what i do.

i really love this place.

i am not blind to its flaws. i am not ignorant of its desperate need for change. i do not support everything we collectively do or say or attempt. but i am so grateful for this nation. similarly to how i feel about the church, i believe in the capability of this nation and i believe in the people of this nation.

i actually fought tears today as i voted because it truly hit me in a genuine way what an amazing thing it is that i get to vote. i know there are flaws in the system, but there is so much freedom that we really do take for granted, and today, probably for the first time in my life, i didn't take it for granted.

i live in a country where i am allowed to think differently from the people who raised me. and i live in a family who allows me to think differently. and i have friends who i love desperately who disagree. we all think so differently...and yet i truly believe we share a common goal and desire for our nation. how amazing is that? it doesn't frustrate or infuriate me. i marvel at it. it is, to me, such a testament to the sovereignty of God. i think He loves the different methods we come up with to get to where we think we need to get. i think He is pleased with our differences. and it brings me to tears even as i write this.

i'm really in love with it today...in love with the amazing variety of people that surround me...in love with the realization that i have enough different influences in my life that i even have the ability to explore more than what has been given to me...in love with the God who is so patient and so ready to fill in the gaps where our knowledge leaves us lacking...He is not deterred...not affected from His love or His goal.

i have so much hope today for this nation. i don't know who this president will be, but as i pray for our country, i am filled with a very real peace and a thick joy for the people that live in it. i feel assured...assured that He is indeed sovereign. i don't know the last time i felt that so strongly. but it makes me grateful. grateful for this place even with all it's dark flaws.