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While reading a fellow Utah Christian’s blog, a thought crossed my mind. Allegiance to your country is often made with a strong statement, be it verbal, non-verbal, symbolic or otherwise. Some wave flags, hoist them on flagpoles, wear flags on their bodies. Others hold hands over their hearts, over their heads, and sing national anthems. While a lot of these statements are wholesome and good, what does the Bible say about taking an oath, like the Pledge of Allegiance? After doing some research and reading, I found that Jesus addressed oaths/pledges quite succinctly.

Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Matthew 5:33-37

While it’s possible that I may be reading this out of context, it seems as if Jesus addresses both honesty and oath-taking. His command? Don’t make them at all. This may be a bit of a shock to many Christians in the United States who are ever so patriotic and loyal to their country. If the wording Jesus used wasn’t enough to convince you or make you think about this a little bit differently, James also addresses the issue.

 Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned.
James 5:12

The question remains – is it un-patriotic to not hold your hand over your heart or to sing the national anthem? The Bible doesn’t really address this issue. My take is that as long as you’re not making an oath, it’s okay. One of the biggest things people love about the United States is the freedom. Freedom to make whatever statement you want to make. Personally, I don’t recite the Pledge of Allegiance for the reasons above. Does that make me less patriotic? I should hope not. I love my country and have an immense amount of respect for those who have fought and died to defend what we believe is right – freedom. This is true patriotism in my heart. Patriotism is a difficult thing to define, as so many different people have views on it. My favorite quote regarding patriotism is the famous but apparently mis-attributed:

Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.

I’ll leave you with this quote from Adlai E. Stevenson on patriotism.

Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.
Adlai E. Stevenson

It’s been a while since I’ve bought any new books, but I stopped by Barnes & Noble on my lunch break and picked up two awesome-looking books. The first is “The Jesus of Surburbia” by Mike Erre, and the second is “boymeetsgirl“, who is the same author who wrote “I Kissed Dating Goodbye.”

I’m really excited to read both of these, but I’ve got another book (The Five Love Languages) I have to finish before I can start either one. (I’m not one of those people that can read several books at a time). “The Jesus of Suburbia” sounds great because it discusses how revolutionary Jesus is and how we’ve “tamed the Son of God to fit our lifestyle.” Boymeetsgirl is in a genre of book I’ve never really had much interest in until now. I’ve spent a great deal of time in prayer and study in the Word, and feel as if God is wanting me to grow in ways I never even imagined. He’s preparing me to be a truly Godly man in preparation to be a Godly husband at some point – only He knows when that will happen. He brought some events into my life to get my attention, and now He has it completely, as He should have all along. It’s just a matter of catching up now.

In reading a book by Gary Chapman titled “The Five Love Languages,” I’ve honestly come to realize that I know very little about what love really is. While not completely shocked, I found that love is more than just the emotional and euphoric state that we inevitably find ourselves in at some point of a relationship – usually around the beginning. These feelings also inevitably fade and seem to vanish. At this point, most people would say that they feel like they’ve lost love. It’s at this point that you must redefine what love really is.

I’m sure almost every Christian has seen this verse at some point:

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I’ll admit that my impression of love has been quite contrary to this. For the longest time, love was just a euphoric feeling I had because of someone else. Love is more than euphoria. It’s a constant altruistic behavior. Love isn’t about yourself. It’s about the other person. If you don’t realize that and act on it – things will fall apart. It’s not a possibility, it’s reality. I’ve witnessed it firsthand – being the one who finds his selfishness and desires ruining the relationship. So to anyone who thinks or knows that they’re in love – take this advice: Make the relationship about the other person. Find out what makes them feel loved and do it. Don’t just do it to keep the other person around, do it with passion and enjoyment, knowing that you’re making your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/whatever happy. Making the person you love and care about happy should make you happy in return. I know it does for me.

On mistakes I’ve made and how you and I can both learn from them:

Languages of Love

I’m sure many of you know that I love to talk. I love to talk so much that I’ll often interrupt a conversation – not the right thing to do. Something that caused problems in my last relationship was my inability to truly listen. This all comes back to the fact that love should be altruistic – not selfish like I’ve often made it. Friends, listen to what she/he has to say. Listen truly and carefully, as your goal should be to understand exactly how the other person feels and thinks. Pay attention to body language. If the other person feels and looks angry, sad, passionate – you’ll know. Clarify their feelings with questions – don’t just respond with “yeah” or a typical neutral answer like “okay.” Depending on the person, this listening shows how you love them. Not everyone recieves/needs love the same way.

Others need quality time to feel loved. Simple things like going out to lunch, picnicking, going for a walk/hike/ride, and even sitting down and just absorbing the presence of your significant other are examples of quality time. Your mentality should be that you are there to absolutely absorb your significant other’s presence and for no other reason than to show your love.

Note: I haven’t finished the book yet, but once I do – I’ll update this post or write another one.