A gentle reminder - "Daily Gratitude" is read by people I love on both sides of the political aisle. It is to remain a politics free zone. You can privately message me any thoughts, but please do not post them here. This is a neutral zone for politics. I have a patriotic heart.
On the other side of the coin, "Daily Gratitude" will never be a faith-free zone because without Christ's decision to pay my sin-debt on the cross, I would not be free. All are welcome, but that is my "full disclosure."
Now for today's gratitude... I am grateful we can do better.
What "better" looks like, have we nearly forgotten? Some of our children have never seen "better." There will be no peace without true peacemakers. There can be no "Stone Soup" when we thrive on drama and celebrate the pot stirrers more than those who gather the meat and grow the vegetables.
Some pots need stirring and some lines need to be drawn, but there must be a moral compass to guide the way.
Our ancestors sought refuge and religious freedom. First in the Netherlands and then they made the miserable journey on the Mayflower to Plymouth Rock. They brought very little with them and lost much of it along the way, including family and friends. They came in hope of finding a place they could live and worship freely. Surely, we can do better.
Our ancestors wrote the "Mayflower Compact" as a means of setting some ground rules in the new land. It was drawn up by the Pilgrims aboard ship to serve as the basis of their future legal and social organization. Many agree it is an early example of a social contract. It is said that John Quincy Adams referred to it as a fore-runner of ideas that developed into the Constitution of the United States of America. That is a powerful piece of paper. Surely, we can do better.
Current rewrites of history forget that when the Pilgrims came, the Native Tribes saw they came with their elders and their children. They recognized that as a sign of coming in peace. You do not bring your families when you come to fight and conquer. The Native Tribes offered the Pilgrims venison, something rarely offered to the peasant population. The Pilgrims saw their gift as being treated like royalty.
The first 20-30 years were pretty good. The Native Tribes moved often. The newcomers did not move as much. Some even paid some of the tribes for land. (This is a synopsis of a fascinating 45 minute podcast with one of the foremost experts on the Pilgrims' arrival to the new world and their early years in the New Land with some additional research.) Looking at our past, there is evidence that we can do better.
Assignation attempts in the political arena are never acceptable in a country that has prided itself on law and order. We may vote Blue, Red, Green, or Independent... but we are Americans. We can do better.
George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, John Quincy Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and our Founding Fathers won an unwinnable war. They didn't agree on everything, and giving birth to a new country was not without trials and frustrations, but they believed in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and a moral compass. They believed in freedom to safely worship God as you knew him with other believers. Churches were some of the first buildings put up in any town. We can do better.
"Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land." -2 Chronicles 7:14
A wise friend shared this observation, "What and who people hate says more about them than it does the person they target." It is food for thought. We can do better.
As I have been praying over the state of our nation, the Holy Spirit seemed to whisper the reminder that Israel got a king because they whined for one. They were relentless. All of their neighboring nations had kings and they wanted one, too. God wanted to be their only king, so they would have undivided hearts.
When the Founding Fathers came together to figure it all out, they wanted George Washington to be our king. Washington refused. He would not take the job if they made him a king. I know he knew the Bible well. I wonder if he remembered the trials that came along with Israel's kings? I do not know, but I love to ponder it.
In 1787, James McHenry of Maryland kept a journal. When Benjamin Franklin left the Constitutional Convention Elizabeth Willing Powel asked “Well Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” “A republic,” Franklin replied tartly, “if you can keep it.”
Now, 237 years later, Franklin’s observation on our Founders’ great experiment haunts us.
Social media has not made us better informed. Snippets of any conversation are not the whole story. We can dig deeper. The great song from "Hamilton" suggested... "Talk less. Smile more." Listen more, too. Be respectful.
Today, I am grateful we can do better.
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