Latest / YOUR AVERAGE DELTON / AS WE CELEBRATE 250 YEARS
Transcript
- DELTON DEAL: Hey guys, welcome back to the Average Delton This is the space where we discuss real life, real loss, and the things that we carry that people never see. No filters, no pretending, just truth. Today is Americans celebrate 250 years. For many people, it's simple. It's fireworks, flags, patriotism. But for many black and brown people, those immigrants that are Americans, it's complicated. And maybe that's okay. Today I don't have answers. I just have questions. Questions I often wrestle with. So let's talk about it. I lived in this country my entire life. This is the only country I've ever known. It's where I learned to ride a bike, where I went to school, where I built friendships. This is home, where I've worked, where I've dreamed. Even where I failed and got back up again, this is simply home. So why does celebrating sometimes feel heavy? Not because we don't love this country, because we know its story. And somehow my story is woven in between this entire celebration, the beautiful parts and the painful ones. Can we celebrate a birthday without pretending the hard years never happen? When you know when someone celebrates a grandparent's 80th birthday, they don't erase the tragedies. They don't forget the losses. They celebrate the entire life. Could America be the same? celebrate the ideals while still acknowledging where we've fallen short? Or does celebration require silence? ⁓ Then I think about children. What do we teach them? we tell them America is the greatest nation on earth? Do we tell them about slavery? ⁓ About segregation? About Native Americans forced off their land. About immigrants who faced hatred. About people who marched so others could vote. About people who died believing America could become more like the promises written on paper. Do we tell them all of it? Only the parts that make us feel comfortable? Sometimes people want history to be polished, smooth, less uncomfortable, almost as if changing the story changes what happened. But history isn't something we own, it's something we inherit. The good, the bad, the inspiring, even the ugly. The heartbreaking. if we remove the difficult chapters, are we protecting our children? Or are we leaving them unprepared to understand the country they're inheriting? On the other hand, do we only tell the pain? Do we leave our children believing America has never changed, that hope is pointless, that progress never happens? That every story ends in injustice. That doesn't feel true either, because history always tells the story of courage, innovation, friendship, sacrifice, freedom expanding, people standing together, ordinary citizens changing extraordinary moments. That's America too. Maybe that's what makes this anniversary so complicated. The ugly parts of America. Are still American. So are the beautiful parts. One doesn't erase the other. Ignoring justice doesn't create unity. but ignoring progress doesn't create truth either. Maybe maturity is learning to hold both realities at the same time. Perhaps ⁓ loving the isn't pretending it's perfect. Perhaps a loving country means caring enough. To tell the truth, the whole truth, the parts that inspire us, the parts that humble us, the parts that challenge us to become better than we've ever been before. So as America celebrates 250 years, maybe the real question isn't whether we celebrate, it's just how we celebrate. Can we wave The flag remembering those who weren't always allowed to enjoy its promises. can we honor the founders without acknowledging those they left out? Can we celebrate ⁓ freedom while remembering the people who had to fight to receive it? Can tell our children a story that's honest enough to build wisdom instead of shame? Hope instead of denial, responsibility instead of blame. Maybe that's what patriotism looks like. Not pretending, not condemning, ⁓ but caring to keep building. Because every generation inherits America ⁓ and every leaves America to the next. So the question isn't simply what America was. The question is what will America become? As we celebrate this fourth of July, I hope you can celebrate with gratitude, honesty, and hope. Because history isn't something behind us. It's something we're still writing. And as you've seen over the World Cup being hosted in America, people outside our country recognize that. So, guys, this has been your average Delton. Thanks for listening. Please hit the subscribe button and remember your life is the only sermon some people will ever hear. Make it loud. I'm your average Delton. Out.