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This Is the Way... Great and Durable Consequencesby Robin WebberAs I sit in my office on President's Day 2006, I am not alone. Happily, I never suffer for companions in this place where I come to think, renew my spirit and share my thoughts with others. I like company, good company, and over the years, I've been blessed to find it. I normally find myself in the presence of two special people when I take a seat, kick up my feet and ponder life. All around me are the books and words that reflect the life of the Man from Galilee. The One who delivered a revolutionary message regarding a truth that "shall make you free" (John 8:32). Someone's watching over my shoulder But while surrounded with the liberating truths of the Nazarene, there is always someone else watching over my shoulder. I know he is always there. I sometimes feel his steady gaze bearing down on me. I know right where he lodges in the midst of my library shelves. The chiseled and noble face of this Virginian is caught in the work of a Grecian bust. As your gaze follows mine, you might have to look twice, because this isn't the aged likeness imprinted on the U.S. dollar bill, but rather the determined and vigorous bearing of a younger man filled with purpose and conviction. Yes, my other friend's name is George Washington. In fact, I just looked over, and yes, he is still staring. But I don't mind, because his constant presence reminds me of some very basic truths when it comes to how God chooses to intervene in human affairs. Yes, it is God that shapes the headlines of the day and brings His prophetic promises to the fore. You see, I tend to be old-fashioned, with a notion that God places rulers and leaders at certain pivotal points of world events, right where He wants them in order to serve His purpose. The prophet Daniel describes this by proclaiming, "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings" (Daniel 2:20-21). God understands the times and how to use them toward His glory. A change of times and seasons If ever there was a change of time and seasons that blew across the North American continent, it was 230 years ago. A single document shattered the quiet of the historical norm and elegantly declared, "When in the course of human events it becomes necessary..." The rest would be history, but not without a struggle. There had not been such a republican form of governance since the time of ancient Rome. As the revolution unfolded, it would be a day-by-day drama. A new creature had to be molded But one man would make a difference! While Jefferson, Adams and Franklin would deliberate and put to pen the thoughts of liberty, a new creature had to be molded on the battlefield—the American man. No longer an Englishman, Yankee, Southerner, Dutchman from the Hudson River Valley or Scot-Irish from the backwoods, but a new person fighting for a principle that all men are created equal and that in this New World, the law would reign supreme, and not the whims of a man. Our American audience has grown up with many stories of George Washington. But I would like to share other stories of why this man became so special to succeeding generations. Such stories guide us to a pivotal understanding: We don't find our values in times of trial, but we take our values into the fiery trial. Preparing for the future At the age of 15, Washington chose to organize a listing of social graces that had migrated across the ocean from France . While his thoughts were not original, he did organize and put to pen these principles in a composition titled, "Rules of Civility." While we think of Washington as the wealthy landholder of Mt. Vernon, he didn't start that way. His family was at the lower rung of the Virginia gentry. From an early age, he understood that any social advancement would be done by developing the quality of virtue. These wide-ranging rules of human engagement were designed to cultivate leadership in a man and set him apart to serve others. They covered almost every action in life, including the very practical ones, such as Rule #7: "Spit not in the fire, nor stoop low before it, neither put your hands into the flames to warm them, nor set your feet upon the fire especially if there be meat thereat." But it's Rules #1 and #2 that laid the foundation and captured my attention. Rule #1: "Every action done in company, ought to be with some sign of respect, to those that are present." Rule #2: "Undertake not what you cannot perform, but be careful to keep your promises." These virtues would play out during the molding experience of the War for Independence and the founding of a new nation. Doing the heavy lifting One day, as was his custom, General Washington was visiting his troops in the field. It had just rained several inches and there was mud everywhere. As he and another officer were walking down a narrow boardwalk, they encountered a soldier bearing a large and obviously heavy box on his shoulders. Washington promptly stepped off the walk to allow the soldier by, and his shiny boots sank down deeply into the black mud. After the man had passed, the officer with him asked, "Why did you do that? Now look at your boots. You outranked the man. Why didn't you make him step off?" You see, had Washington required that man to step off in the mud with such an awkward burden, he would no doubt have fallen. But Washington was practicing Rule #1. On another occasion, Washington was starting out from headquarters and drew on his great coat, turned up the collar and pulled his hat down to shield his face from the biting wind. As he walked down the road to where the soldiers were fortifying a camp, no one would have known the tall, muffled figure was the commander-in-chief of the Army. As he came near the camp, he stopped to watch a small company of soldiers, under the command of a corporal, building a breastwork of logs. The men were tugging at a heavy log. The corporal, important and superior, stood at one side giving orders. He cried, "Up with it! Now altogether! Push! I say!" But every time the men almost had the log in place, it would roll back down. Each time the corporal would only yell from the sidelines—"1-2-3, mush!" Finally, on the exhaustive third push the log was once again about to roll back when the man with the great coat came forward and pushed along with everyone else. The log stayed in place. While everyone gathered around to thank the man, the hero of the moment turned to the corporal and asked, "Why don't you help your men with the heavy lifting, when they needed another hand?" "Why don't I?" snorted the corporal. "Don't you see I'm a corporal?" "Indeed," replied the tall stranger as he unfurled his great coat and showed his uniform. "I'm only the commander-in-chief. Next time you have a log too heavy for your men to lift, send for me." An eye to the future Early in the war, Washington told his troops "The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army ... We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die." The heavy lifting would continue even after the war, as the real battle of establishing a new form of government with a new kind of head of state called a "president" would ensue. In all his actions, Washington was acutely aware that he was setting precedents as the first chief executive of the land for those that would follow him in office. He said, "Many things which appear of little importance in themselves at the beginning may have great and durable consequences from their having been established at the commencement of a new government. It will be much easier to commence the administration, upon a well-adjusted system, built on tenable grounds, than to correct errors or alter inconveniences after they shall be confirmed by habit." Life was never easy even for this man, but his sheer force of will carried a faltering American Revolution to the sure conclusion of victory. And while in later years he wished to escape the clutches of burdensome office, nonetheless, as president, he took each calculated step along the way with an eye to the future. His second Rule of Civility, "Undertake not what you cannot perform, but be careful to keep your promises," remained a constant guide. He kept those promises both in war and peace, and after two terms as president, retired from total power. Start preparing now By the way, Washington is still staring over my shoulder. His presence reminds me that a life that can be used by God is a life that is prepared. Yes, God is prepared to use us, but in turn we need to be prepared and circumspect with how we equip ourselves. Do you realize there is a time in the works in which God's Word prophesies that He wants to make those who are diligently preparing now "kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth" (Revelation 5:10)? Imagine! I'm not speaking of just another new and improved earthly institution, but holding office in the government of God! World News and Prophecy is not simply a magazine directed toward describing a world awash in global calamities, but is purposefully directed to encourage those who will heed God's call to start preparing now for a time ahead that is going to be totally unlike anything the world has ever experienced. It's called the Kingdom of God . There's some heavy lifting along the way between now and then. But perhaps the theme of Isaiah 30:21, "this is the way, walk in it," is best echoed by the words of Washington: "Many things which appear of little importance in themselves at the beginning have great and durable consequences..." Step carefully, for we are moving toward a wonderful future! Never underestimate God and never underestimate how God might use you. WNP |
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Other Articles by Robin Webber
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Keywords: Washington, George heavy lifting
Washington, George:
