By the time I was three-years-old I knew I had been born in Texas, and was fiercely proud of my birth state. By the time I was four, I was insufferable. I regularly reminded my younger sister and baby brother that I was born in Texas—and they weren’t. We were living in California at the time. I bragged to my friends that Texas was the biggest state and that everything in Texas was bigger.

I was eight years old when Alaska was admitted to the United States on January 3, 1959. I was devastated when I learned that Alaska was bigger than Texas. We lived in Georgia by this time and when anyone mentioned Alaska to me, I would reply, “When Alaska melts, Texas will be the biggest state again.” I’m still waiting for Alaska to melt.

There is nothing wrong with folks being proud of their birthplace. Love and pride for your country is good and right. However, not everyone can be born in Texas.

God’s love for all of us is inclusive. We don’t need to be born in a certain place or in certain circumstances to get to heaven. Heaven is wide open for everyone who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

Isn’t it wonderful that we don’t have to do a certain number of pushups to get to heaven? Or win marathons? Or be beautiful or handsome? Or be a certain age? Or have a certain amount of money? Or have wealthy or famous parents? Or be famous ourselves? Or be vegan? Or have a star on the sidewalk in Hollywood?

All we need to do is say, “Jesus, I believe.”

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:8

We don’t even need to be born in Texas.

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