On this Independence Day it is good to reflect on just how God has blessed America. As an immigrant and naturalized American I am well aware of the fact that we enjoy freedoms that are unknown in much of the world.

Consider for a moment the Four Freedoms articulated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his 1941 State of the Union Address,made famous in paintings by Norman Rockwell: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want and freedom from fear.

Here are the actual words of President Roosevelt in that memorable address to Congress:

“In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.
“The first is freedom of speech and expression–everywhere in the world.
“The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way–everywhere in the world.
“The third is freedom from want–which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants–everywhere in the world.
“The fourth is freedom from fear–which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor–anywhere in the world.”

Here in America we have come a long way toward assuring these basic freedoms for every person. That is the reason why so many wish to become Americans.

God indeed has blessed America, but we must continue to pray for His guidance.