“They have so little, and we have so much.”

“They are so happy, and yet we are so sad.”

Those observations come from one of West Virginia’s most interesting and genuinely kind residents, the Bishop Darrell Cummings of Wheeling.

Cummings, a Pentecostal bishop who now oversees Port Elizabeth in South Africa along with his ministries in Bethlehem and Weirton, recently returned from a visit across the ocean with his parishioners. He said even though the residents there have little, they always are so happy.

That is despite the fact that South Africans must deal with discrimination, a shorter life expectancy, high unemployment and poverty rates and a number of infectious diseases.

Cummings compared that to conditions here in the United States, where we have been given so much yet always seem to believe we don’t have enough.

That’s such a powerful reminder that we should not take the peace and prosperity we have been given for granted. America, even with all its problems, still remains the shining city on a hill that the rest of the world admires. We must not let our differences get in the way.

As we head through this upcoming election and the results are revealed, always remember: we live in the greatest nation in the world. No matter who wins, America remains strong and the beacon of hope. Don’t let that change.