Superbowl Performance Thought

I am proud to say that I bleed red, white, and blue.
I am just as proud to be Puerto Rican as I am to be American.

When I was younger, I hung a Puerto Rican flag from my rearview mirror. For the last decade, the American flag has flown from my front porch window, and today it rides on the tailgate of my truck. Both flags tell my story. Both are home.

I have always stayed out of politics, not because I do not care, but because I never felt informed enough to argue about what should be done. Still, I know enough to recognize what should never be done. I know enough to recognize right from wrong.

Life has blessed me with the chance to travel, to live in different places, and to experience many cultures. When I was younger, it was easy to judge what I did not understand. That is what immaturity does. We fear the unfamiliar.

But time, travel, and experience changed me.

The more I saw, the more I listened, the more I understood. Even when I did not agree with certain ways of life, I learned to respect them. Exposure softens the heart.

Growing up, I did not like country music. I did not understand it. It sounded foreign to me. Then I lived in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee. I heard the stories behind the songs. I lived some of those stories myself. And before I knew it, I wasn’t just accepting it. I loved it.

Understanding creates connection.

I have met farmers, mountain men, people living off the grid, and people from every walk of life. None of them needed my acceptance. But my heart grew bigger because of them.

That is what experience does. It teaches you humility.

I do not expect everyone to understand my culture. I do not even expect them to like it. That is fine. But there is a difference between not understanding something and disrespecting it.

You do not have to celebrate me. You do not have to agree with me. But you should not disrespect me.

And the same goes for everyone else.

History has shown us that terrible things have been done in the name of God. I have studied many philosophies, many religions, many ways of life. Yet I choose to practice Christianity, and to me that simply means trying to live like Christ.

And Christ was very clear.

Love God.
Love your neighbor.

It really is that simple.

Sadly, we struggle with even that.

I am not asking people to love everyone. I am not asking people to agree with everyone. But at the very least, we should not disrespect one another. Especially if we claim faith. Especially if we claim Christ.

What troubles me most about what is happening in our nation today is how easily we are divided, distracted, and turned against each other while deeper moral issues at the highest levels go unchecked. Everything becomes political. Everything becomes a fight.

But humanity should come first.

Sometimes I think that if Jesus walked the earth today, he would not label himself by religion or party. He would not argue over sides. He would simply stand for people. For compassion. For mercy. For love.

For neighbors.

That is the country I believe in.
That is the faith I try to live.
That is the man I am trying to become.

And through it all, I still say this with my whole heart:

I love you.