If you are at all interested in football, then you’re aware of the recent protests by various players throughout the NFL. It all started with San Francisco Quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem. When asked about it, he said he didn’t want to “stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Now, various other players have joined him in the protest. This has caused moral outrage from people on both sides. Some praise Kaepernick for standing up against the recent injustices that have taken place in our country, while others think it’s disgusting that he could do such a thing when the very country that he is protesting against is the country in which he lives and enjoys his freedom. I’m not here to necessarily say which side I think is right or wrong. Rather, I want to point out frustrations I have with each side as I’ve thought about this over the past few days.
Yes, it can be quite frustrating that Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players won’t respect those who have died for our freedom. It feels odd that they would even have the audacity to protest when they are living the good life of fame and fortune. But more frustrating than that is the response of Americans regarding the protest. So many people act as if every person who lives here basically forfeits their right to be frustrated at the injustices of our country simply because they live here. Yet this is the very thing for which we have the freedom of speech. It seems to me as if people are saying, “This country has done so much for you. So you owe it your complete respect. You must ignore the wrongs of this country in order to respect it.” That is completely untrue. The very reason we have the freedoms that we do is because of the men who stood up against the injustices of their country. The only entity to which we owe our unquestionable loyalty is God the Holy Trinity. He is perfectly just and good and fair and holy and right. To Him, we owe our hearts and our souls. He does no wrong.
Our country, on the other hand, has a lot of skeleton’s in its closet. Don’t get me wrong, I love America and I love living here. But it is far far from a perfect country. In fact, it feels like we’re spiraling out of control as a country. We’re sky-rocketing towards a Romans 1 society. And it’s not going to stop by sitting on the sidelines and submitting ourselves fully to the praise of the “great” America. We need to stand up. We need to point out the injustices in our nation. We cannot continue to close our ears to the evils of America. Now sure, there might be more effective ways to fight this fight than kneeling during the national anthem at a football game. But at least these players are doing something. It’s though to get mad at people who are only trying to help raise awareness of injustice. At the very least, they’re doing more than most of the rest of us.
That brings us to 9/11, which fell on football Sunday this year. It’s a day that needs no introduction, as it will forever be a burden on the American citizen’s heart. This day isn’t really about the United States. It’s not about honoring a country that has an endless list of faults. No. This is a day about remembering those who died. It’s about remembering the loved ones that were lost. It’s about mourning for the holes that are in all of our hearts. It’s about respecting the untold number of households that will forever feel empty on Christmas day. It’s about honoring the countless men and women who were true heroes that day. The firefighters and police officers and even civilians who did everything they could to help. It’s one of the most somber, heart-wrenching days in our history. Surely, no one would protest during the national anthem on this day.
If you thought that, then you were wrong. There were at least multiple Miami Dolphin players who knelt during the national anthem this past Sunday. You have to respect what they’re trying to do, even if you don’t agree with the methods. But what I can’t respect is the protest on that day of all days. Thousands of people died, and some are still hurting from that day 15 years ago. Suck it, stand up, and show some respect for the lives lost. At least on that day. People are weeping. It’s not the time to make a political statement. It’s a time for our broken, fractured country to weep together.