It's been a tough week thinking about America's 250th Independence Day.

If I attended a Fourth of July party, I'd probably be the guy standing quietly off to the side.

Wanting to celebrate.

Wanting to smile.

But carrying a heavy heart.

After reading my dear friend Damaris Juanita Johnson reflections, I realized I've been wrestling with the same tension all week.

Part of me says…

"Yeah, America!" 🇺🇸

Another part asks…

"America?" 🤨

What exactly are we celebrating?

A nation built on extraordinary courage…

...but also on extraordinary suffering.

A country capable of incredible freedom…

...yet still wrestling with injustice, violence, division, and the pain we've never fully owned.

Sometimes it feels like we celebrate the victories without doing the work that healing requires.

Individuals go to therapy.

Families go to therapy.

Relationships go to therapy.

I often wonder…

What would it look like if a nation did the same?

Not to live in shame.

Not to erase the progress we've made.

But to tell the truth about where we've been so we can become who we're capable of being.

I deeply honor the men and women who fought, marched, sacrificed, served, voted, prayed, and gave their lives so that many of us enjoy freedoms today.

Because of them, America has become better.

And because of them, I believe America can become better still.

Fireworks are brightest when you're watching from darkness.

Maybe that's what today reminds me of.

That hope shines brightest when we're honest enough to acknowledge both the light and the shadows.

So today…

I celebrate 250 years.

I remember the cost.

I acknowledge the pain.

And I pray we keep becoming an America where liberty, justice, dignity, and compassion belong to everyone.

Happy Fourth of July, with hope, gratitude, and a heavy heart. 

🇺🇸 ❤️🤍💙✊🏾🫶🏾💪🏾