A flag is great thing to have and to display. But what is the point, really, if we never notice it? A flag is a symbol, and a symbol only has meaning when we reflect on it and consider its meanings.

Most of us are aware that Betsy Ross sewed our first flag in May of 1776. But why the particular design and why the particular colors? Were these the only materials she had available to her? Were they just her favorite colors? The colors bear significance, and we do well to remember the significance every time we see a U.S. flag.

Red

First, red reminds us of a price. Red is the color of blood and the red stripes remind us of the many men and women who have shed their blood to win, maintain, and spread this blessing that we call freedom. The price paid was expensive – no value can be assigned to a human life; and the worth of something is measured by the price paid on its behalf. So we remember that freedom – liberty – is of inestimable worth, because thousands of men and women have paid for it by their own lives. We must never take our freedoms for granted. In addition, having tasted that freedom for ourselves we must not rest until people everywhere have the same opportunity to enjoy freedom’s benefits.

White

The white on our flag reminds us of principles. Regardless of what those who attempt to rewrite history may say, the Founders established our country on God’s moral principles. God blesses us when we walk in His path. We enjoy today the benefits of a society firmly rooted and grounded in God’s principles of right, wrong, justice, and mercy. God said in Deuteronomy 30:19-20:

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! Choose to love the Lord your God, and to obey Him and to commit yourself to Him for He is your life.

As long as we uphold and live by God’s standards, His blessing will be upon us. Should we continue to choose to walk another path, live according to our own desires and understandings, the windows of heaven can and will close.

Blue

Finally, the blue on the flag reminds us of the product of the paid price and the principles on which we have stood. The product is our affluence. God has indeed blessed this country unlike any other on the face of this earth. I think it is safe to say that even the poorest among us have a better life than many who live on the earth today. Many who fall beneath the poverty line in our country would be worse of to trade places with most people in third world countries.

Our affluence carries with it two awesome responsibilities. First is the responsibility to be thankful – to recognize that God the source of all that we have. Unfortunately, our affluence often turns our attention to ourselves. We seek to gain more or at least protect what we have. We get a silly notion that our hard work, ingenuity, skills, or even just plain “luck” have provided for us. Nothing could be further from the truth. “The earth is the Lord’s and all the fullness in it,” the psalmist tells us. We would do well to remember that and to be thankful.

Our affluence also carries the responsibility of sharing our blessings with others. God made Abraham three promises: He would bless him, He would make him a blessing to others, and He would bless those who blessed Abraham and curse those who didn’t. I think that promise comes from the central nature and character of God. He also has blessed us so that He can make us a blessing. He has invested in us so that we can be His tool to bless others. Moreover, I have noticed that God has a way of protecting His investment.

We as individuals as well as collectively as a nation have the responsibility to use our affluence to reach down and lift those less fortunate. We lift them so that we can walk side by side shoulder to shoulder through this life. God has blessed us, we are thankful, and we should be proactively generous as well.

A Challenge

I challenge you, when you see the U.S. flag, remember the price paid for our freedom, recommit to the principles God has established for our good, and recognize our responsibility to share in the product of God’s blessing on our country.

May God continue to bless America so that we can be a blessing to Him and for Him.