Two hundred and fifty years ago today, fifty-six extraordinary men gathered in Philadelphia and forever altered the course of human history.

On July 4, 1776, they declared to the world that our rights do not come from governments or kings, but from our Creator. They pledged “their Lives, their Fortunes and their sacred Honor” to a cause they knew might cost them everything. By the providence of Almighty God, they gave birth to a nation unlike any the world had ever known.

Today, we have the extraordinary privilege of celebrating America’s 250th birthday.

John Adams understood the significance of what had begun. Writing to his wife Abigail the day before the Declaration was adopted, he predicted that future generations would celebrate America’s independence with “Pomp and Parade… Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other.” Two hundred and fifty years later, his vision lives on in ways even he could scarcely have imagined. Today, families will gather around backyard grills, children will wave American flags, neighbors will celebrate together, and tonight the skies above Parker County and communities across our nation will be illuminated in celebration of the greatest republic in the history of the world.

It is a good day to be grateful.

Grateful for the courage of the Founders.

Grateful for the wisdom of our Constitution.

Grateful for every soldier who has defended our liberty, every family who has strengthened our communities, every church that has faithfully proclaimed the truth, and every citizen who has understood that freedom carries both extraordinary blessings and sacred responsibilities.

Throughout our nation’s history, Americans have demonstrated something rare in the story of mankind. When the Revolutionary War ended, the world expected General George Washington to seize power as victorious commanders had done throughout history. Instead, he voluntarily surrendered his commission and returned to private life. King George III is said to have remarked that if Washington truly intended to do so, “he will be the greatest man in the world.” In that singular act, Washington affirmed that America would be governed not by the ambition of one man, but by enduring principles, constitutional order, and the consent of a free people.

It is also fitting that one of our nation’s most enduring symbols of freedom, the Liberty Bell, bears the inscription from Leviticus 25:10: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” Those words remind us that the liberty we celebrate today was understood by our Founders not as a gift from government, but as a blessing from God to be protected, cherished, and faithfully passed to future generations.

Few generations have ever had the opportunity to celebrate the 250th birthday of their nation. By God’s grace, ours does.

May we never take for granted the blessings we have inherited. May we prove worthy of the sacrifices that secured them. And may we faithfully preserve this great Republic so that when Americans celebrate our nation’s 300th birthday, they will look back with gratitude on the generation that refused to squander the inheritance entrusted to its care.

May God continue to bless Parker County, the great State of Texas, and the United States of America.

Happy 250th Birthday, America!