Hymn #697 in Celebrating Grace Hymnal — “This Is My Song”
[pullquote_center width=”70%”]This is my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;
But other hearts in other lands are beating
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.[/pullquote_center]
I need to say “Thank you” to Lloyd Stone, the writer of today’s featured hymn text. When I think of, or witness displays of, patriotism, it is often in an “us vs. them” spirit, whether in war or in sports. For this reason, I am often uncomfortable with the concept of patriotism. But here, Stone has expressed the longings I have felt; that there is a way to express love for one’s own country, and the ideals to which it aspires, without debasing or disregarding other countries. He acknowledges that, while this is “home” for him, other folk in other places feel much the same about their own “homes”. This patriotism, with respect for those calling other places beloved, is a patriotism that I can claim as my own.
Here are my hopes, but other hearts beat with hopes just as genuine for their own lands and people.