A lot less ragging on Canada. Stop poking this great country in the eye.  Go ahead and make it better but have some respect for the freedoms that are granted here.

A lot more love for our neighbour.  This country is your country and it’s my country.  It’s ours. 

Let’s respect each other.  We share the same streets, neighbourhoods, cities, villages, provinces and nation, so let’s show the world how to get along in sharing the same planet.   

A lot less division.  True love for one’s neighbour doesn’t label others by any standard other than the respect and value owed to every human being.  

A lot more unity.  The Charter is helpful in keeping unity because it establishes the common law and values we agree to impose on ourselves. 

A lot less gawking at the USA.  When someone you love and on whom you depend is going through a rough season, it’s unnatural and unholy to stab them in the back.  “Love covers a multitude of transgressions.”  It’s horribly distasteful when one nation postures itself as morally superior to another. 

A lot more hard work in cleaning up our own back yard.  One of the surest signs that you are in denial is to talk endlessly about someone else’s problems.  It’s called “deflecting” and it’s not healthy.  I vote for working hard at cleaning up our own messes. 

A lot less bullying and manipulation.  The right and freedom of conscience, belief, opinion and expression is a cornerstone tenet of the Charter.  You aren’t free if you are afraid to express another side of an argument that doesn’t follow mainstream chatter.  Nor are you free if you are labelled a “hater” because you raise an opposing view.  I would never have believed that Canada would become a land of bullying and manipulation to this degree.  From mayors to ministers we bully through silence, shouting or sarcasm.   

A lot more humility.  The Bible says that “pride goes before destruction” for a reason.  I think it’s commendable to realize how blessed you are to live in this great nation, but I think it’s more endearing to be humble about your blessings. 

A lot more praying, hoping and trusting in God to keep our land.  Without a doubt, the best gift Canada bestowed upon me was access to the knowledge of God upon which our country is founded (according to the Charter).  For many years now I have stood with my church on Canada Day weekend to sing the national anthem.  We are unique (even rare according to Wikipedia) in that when we sing, we include the third stanza which reads: 

Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,
Hold our Dominion within thy loving care;
Help us to find, O God, in thee
A lasting, rich reward,
As waiting for the better Day,
We ever stand on guard.

So, on this great day of celebrating our freedom, say a prayer or two that our Lord, Ruler Supreme, would hold our Dominion in His loving care!

Just two things to remember before I go church family:   

No promise of freedom is complete without the one that Jesus offered His message of hope!  “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).  Unless and until you are set free from the bondage of your sin, you are never really free.  He is the true liberator of the souls of mankind.  ALL mankind, from every “tribe and tongue and nation.”