Growing Into A More Perfect Union

Whether you are enjoying the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, Canada, and the United States (North America) or not, one thing is for sure: international fans coming to the United States to watch their teams compete are enjoying it. It's all over the news. Here's how one foreign World Cup fan put it. "If you want to hate the United States, watch the news. If you want to love the United States, visit the United States.”

Even media pundit Bill Maher says, “I am loving that the World Cup has brought to our shores all these foreign people who are doing Americans the service of reminding us that just when we needed it on our big 250th birthday, that actually this place is kind of awesome.” I love what Maher is saying here: "This place (America) is kind of awesome.” Sometimes it takes someone from another country to wake us up to the uniqueness, hospitality, generosity, and marvel of the people in the USA and the United States itself.

I've seen many social media reports like this one from the Daily News. "British and European fans visiting the U.S. for the first time during the 2026 World Cup are flooding social media with heartfelt apologies to Americans, admitting the country is nothing like the negative narrative painted by foreign media." English fan Oliver Henry gushed that Texans were the friendliest people he's ever met and that part of his heart will "forever stay in Texas." Others, like a Brit named Josh, apologized “on behalf of the entire world” for years of unfair judgment, marveling at America's culture, scenery, architecture, and the genuine warmth and hospitality of its people. 

Well, we who live in the United States know that, like any other country, there are both good and not-so-good things. One problem in the United States is that we get far more negative views of what is wrong with America from national and foreign education, government, and media than the positive side of America that these foreign fans are experiencing. Reporting the negative and suppressing the positive are most likely problems in almost every country. That’s just the nature of media. If it doesn’t bleed, it doesn’t read. Legacy media, being capitalist itself, is looking for more clicks to drive more sales. Constant negativity creates a bad attitude in people.

Have you ever heard of the sin of familiarity? The sin of familiarity is a fault that affects many people today. Familiarity is knowing someone, something, or even a nation so well that you lose your admiration, respect, or sense of awe. It keeps you from recognizing the greatness and anointing upon a person, thing, or nation. Familiarity kept the brothers of Jesus from recognizing the great anointing upon His life (John 7:5). The danger of familiarity is that some people are unable to be near greatness because of it. In other words, familiarity breeds contempt for a person, thing, or nation. You lose the positives and get consumed by the negatives. 

I believe this is what is going on with many Americans today. They're too familiar with the problems of the United States and not familiar with its positives and wonders. These people like the country if…not despite. Yet those same people want everyone who sees their bitterness and issues to accept them “despite.” Hint: On this side of heaven, there will always be "despites." People's hearts and nations are like battleships; it takes some time to turn them. You might be saying, "Yes, but…!" My suggestion is to give your “buts” to God. Resist the sin of familiarity. Constant darkness is too much for us, so let's turn it over to Jesus. 

Wall Street Journal writer Alex Green wrote the following about our Independence Day in 2022. I updated it near the end. 

“It's easy, with our modern sensibilities, to look back and see what our founders got wrong. But it's also important to recognize what they got right. That begins with recognizing that politics is the art of the possible. If the American Revolution had to include equal rights for Black Americans, Native Americans, and women in 1776, there could not have been one. It is historical ignorance to believe otherwise. (Recall that even white men without property were denied the vote.) It took many decades, a war between the states, women's suffrage, civil rights, and more to build a more inclusive society and begin to fulfill the American ideal of liberty and equality.

"Last week was the Fourth of July, the United States' 250th birthday. Let's take a moment to reflect on what was exceptional about America's founding. Fireworks lit the skies across most states because our nation's birth was revolutionary, not in the sense of replacing one set of rulers with another, but in placing political authority in the hands of the people. Our Declaration of Independence is a timeless statement of inherent rights, the true purposes of government, and the limits of political authority. Our core beliefs are enshrined in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the longest-serving foundation of liberty in history.”

Yes, we made mistakes along the way and still face plenty of problems and challenges today, but every country is like building an airplane while it’s flying. It takes time, maturity, and learning from its mistakes. Entering our 251st year this July, let's remember something worth celebrating: the 250th anniversary of the “flawsome” but awesome United States of America, which is one of the best things that’s ever happened in the world.