Are you weary of the constant barrage of news reports filled with angry charges and dissent?
Me, too.
Let's not get stuck there. Let's step back in our minds to before the United States of America officially existed. The population seethed with unease because this was a colony of Great Britain. For anyone to speak or act against the King's decrees could result in being charged with treason.
Still, in that setting a small group of men summoned up courage to gather in secret. They labored together for days as they hammered out the unforgettable words of our Declaration of Independence. From the first to the last they knew they were risking their lives and everything they owned.
When they signed their names it was akin to signing their own death warrants. Yet they did not flinch.
Even today their words live on
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
These were audacious words in an era when every man, woman and child within our borders was subject to a powerful Ruler and government headquartered across a vast Ocean.
The signers believed in God ("their Creator") and their Declaration of Independence makes that clear. Its adoption by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, marked the United States of America as an independent nation. It took the Revolutionary War to establish this as fact to Great Britain and the rest of the world.
Through all the unrest of that time--and so many times in our history, including today--America survives.
Leaders, then and now
Our Nation's Founders believed in God. If you doubt that, read some of their words:
"We recognize no sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus." -John Adams and John Hancock.
"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." -George Washington
"[The Bible] is the rock on which our Republic rests." -Andrew Jackson
These Founders stated what they believed. No doubt they also relied on Bible verses like this:
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
Instead of angst let's take each day as a gift and leave it in God's hands
Let's substitute encouraging each other for complaining and repeating our gripes and our fears to the people around us.
We know for sure this is not the first time in our Nation's history when emotions ran high and trust ran low. No doubt it won't be the last.
As we take in the news and conversations around us let's use reason and logic to evaluate individuals and current events. After all, since the beginning leadership positions have been held by imperfect people.
(That shouldn't surprise us since that's all there is to draw on.)
Finding a place of calm
The future--all of it--is in the hands of our gracious Father, who loves us with an everlasting love. We can safely rest our hearts in Bible promises like these:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27
The courageous men who signed our Declaration of Independence believed this. This strong foundation of faith has carried these United States of America through many a crisis.
However flawed we may be as a Nation or as individuals, it takes nothing away from these Truths.
Choose a new perspective
Imagine how our society would change for the better if each of us made it our purpose to be a blessing to our family and friends.
Think how that would--could--change us. Our street. Our community. Our Nation.
Whatever our stage of life this could give us a sense of new Life, plus the Liberty of being free of old mindsets. Our personal pursuit of Happiness would result in good all around.
Reason to celebrate, for sure!
Praying for this Nation and for you,
Lenore
