In honor of National Anthem Day, March 3rd, I invite you to travel back with me to a day long ago; it must have been in 1980.
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, perfect for SEC football, Larry parked our borrowed car, and we gazed about. For a moment in time, we found ourselves back on campus at Mississippi State University. Already serving Christ as missionaries in a clandestine assignment behind the Iron Curtain, this pause seemed surreal.
With the birth of our third child just around the corner, my pregnant body slowly climbed the concrete ramp into the stadium as we moved toward our seats. The generosity of the MSU athletic department made this opportunity possible; every detail held significance.
Once in place, we sighed and savored the moment. In front of us towered the chapel where we first met. Only a short distance beyond stood the monument where we shared our first kiss. And just over the ridge behind us rested the bed of daylilies where, on his knees pulling weeds, Larry first experienced a vision of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union being set aflame with the Gospel. Indeed, this unique piece of academic geography would forever hold a beloved place in our hearts.
Still dazzled by the surroundings of our rich personal history, Larry and I rose on command with the other thousands when we heard the announcement: “Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for our national anthem.” My husband removed his cap, and we respectfully placed our hands over our hearts. Then, our eyes turned to gaze upon Old Glory as she waved in the gentle autumn breeze. Solemnly, we listened with appreciation as, line by line, the selected celebrity brought incredible talent to the strains of our nation’s national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner.
Say, can you see
By the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed
At the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars
Through the perilous fight
O'er the ramparts we watched,
Were so gallantly, yeah, streaming?
And the rockets' red glare
The bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave —
But as the last words,
O'er the land of the free
reverberated in the air with crystal-clear magnificence, something totally unexpected occurred. A moment transpired that marked us forever. Looking over at Larry and reaching for his hand, I realized that he and I stood alone in a world all by ourselves.
With tears pouring down our cheeks, we wept. Way beyond the musical grandeur, we wept over the significance of our freedom.
The land of the free . . . and the home … of . . . the . . . brave.
As never before in our naïve American lives, my beloved and I sang (and felt) our national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, differently. It took an assignment behind the Iron Curtain in communist Poland to grip us with the priceless value of our heritage as free citizens of the United States of America. Yet, on a football Saturday afternoon lost in a crowd of fanatical fans, a lesson in patriotism changed our lives in a riveting way we will never forget and from which I hope we never recover.
Oh, yes; for these two, our national anthem is a very big deal.
Living With Eternal Intentionality®
What do you think about when you join a crowd and sing our national anthem?
When is the last time you genuinely thanked God for your freedom?
How can you bring meaning to the upcoming holiday, National Anthem Day?
