Presently, we are entertaining the onslaught of presidential candidates in our homes, whether we prefer to do so or not. They solicit our votes through visual and mental manipulation, trying to convince us of their worthiness. It seems to me, the more they try to convey their worth and the other candidates flaws, the more I am sadly convinced we have no candidate who is qualified or worthy of my vote and that no matter what I do, say or listen to, my vote will be just as influential and sure whether I am educated in my selection or whether I walk in the booth and throw a dart at the board.
We’ve come a long way from the selection of our first few presidents to this cutthroat, money mongering game of slander and charades.
On February 22, 1863, a Reverend George Richards from the First Congregational Church in Litchfield, Connecticut, preached a sermon commemorating George Washington’s birth. Now, those of you who are history buffs will note that this sermon came 64 years after Washington’s death. Also, as noted in this speech, it would have been Washington’s 131st birthday. That being said, the speech was done in general memory and not as any specific mile marker. What a credit to the life of this first official leader.
This speech starts out with Exodus 16:4 “In very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee My power and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth.” He goes on to say “God attains His own ends by His own instruments.” George Richards continues to say later in the speech how God had developed Washington’s character to be exactly what He needed for th3e job at hand. He lists many parts of his character. “Conjoined to those antagonist forces was a judgment as sounds, as fair, as even-balance as often falls to the lot of man. Glad of light from any quarter, patient to hear and weigh contradictory opinions, slow to arrive at a decision, watchful against the bias of pride, prejudice, self-interest, his conclusions, perhaps, were as nearly infallible as can be expected of mere human reason.”
How many Presidents have we had that you would say that about? How many candidates in the running seem to carry these qualities, at least in part?
He worked his way up and earned monumental respect from his elders and colleagues and yet maintained a steadfast humility paralleled with his ability to lead. He was “the direct opposite of the timid, groveling, time-serving, self-seeking demagogue of which there were wanting examples then, as there have not been since.” (It seems to me that our candidates fit into the later description rather that the afore mentioned.) To read the rest of this speech, go to www.wallbuilders.com . This is a site on American Heritage.
We need men and women to lead this country with wisdom and humility. There is not any lack of reference in Proverbs that would lead us to a different conclusion. When did we decide to sit back and let everyone else decide what is best for us? This country is hanging off the balance beam just short of an eternal plunge into the dark realm of socialism. Who will save us from ourselves once we destroy ourselves when we, at present, are the only country who ever sticks their nose in to make a place better when it doesn’t even concern us?! Will you continue to sit quietly by and allow this country that started with such great leadership, strength and foresight crumble to a mass of dust and rubble?
