As we celebrate our 246th year of Independence there are some things that are worth discussing as we evaluate where we are and what direction we are moving in as a country?
When we look at what united our founders almost 250 years ago, we can look at what took place during this special session of Congress:
“On September 7, 1774, as Congress began, the founding fathers listened to Rev. Jacob Duche’ read Psalm 35, which was the “Psalter” for the day according to the Anglican Book of Common Prayer:
“Plead my cause, Oh, Lord, with them that strive with me, fight against them that fight against me.”
Prayer was their rallying cry. As we examine this generation we can ask a couple questions….
What was our founding generation like? What was their purpose?
I think sometimes we may look at our founders as we do comic book characters, superhuman. But we know that those who participated in the drafting and the writing of the Declaration of Independence, those who signed their names to that document that pivotal Summer of 1776 by no means had the power to fly, to read minds, or self-heal.
They were not indestructible beings. Every single one of these men were flawed human beings with weaknesses. I say this not to demean their accomplishments but only for us to understand that they were flesh and blood just as we are today. We are human beings filled with flaws but God uses us in spite of our shortcomings.
There were some of our founders that even had a strong dislike of their peers. Just as we do today, they did some things that they often regretted. We all have things we wish we had done better. I don’t think anyone of us can look in the mirror and say with all confidence that we always tried our best.
As imperfect human beings, in spite of their flaws and their differences these men rose to the occasion as a strong testimony to their humanity.
The world loves to define us by our weaknesses, our failures, our shortcomings and our sins. Our Heavenly Father loves us despite all of these things. We are not known just for our failures and as our founders have shown, as our forefathers have shown in the generations before us, we are capable of rising to the occasion with the courage of our convictions.[1]
Men like Adams, Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Rush, Madison among many others knew that what they had created was no more perfect than they were. America was not handed to us in perfect working condition, ready to run like a well-oiled machine but that our Republic needed to be tended to with improvisions needed to work better while these improvisions be built off of an idea laid out in the Declaration of Independence and our Bill of Rights.
Improvision. What does it mean?
To create something spontaneously without preparation or to produce something from whatever is available.
Being a teacher, this is teaching 101!
As Americans we seem to have the gift of improvision. It seems to be who we are. Now I am not saying the Constitution was thrown together on whim carelessly with no thought or prayer whatsoever but the founding generation were entering waters that no man had ever been before so when I say they improvised they were creating something that the world had never seen before. They were men forged in the fire and created for such a time as this.
In the year 1774, none had any experience in nation building or in starting revolutions. I guess you could say they were making it up as they went with much prayer involved. Keep in mind that these men were not old white men with long grey beards who could barely move but they were quite young in fact. I am always saying if we are going to see revival come to our nation it will come from our young people.
These men were driven by their ideals and were young. George Washington was the oldest of them at 43 in 1775 when he took command of the Continental Army, Thomas Jefferson was just 33 when he wrote the Declaration of Independence, John Adams was 40, and Benjamin Rush was only 30 when he signed the Declaration.
When these men declared war on Great Britain, the greatest empire in the world at that time, they had no money as there wasn’t one bank in the entire country, no navy, no real army. It was a young nation that consisted of about 2.5 million people 500,000 whom were slaves.
The odds seemed impossible from any point of view but they knew their purpose, they knew what they stood for and despite their differences they came together united in the cause of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Can we overcome our differences today, unite again despite our differences in the same causes that lit the fire in the hearts of our founding generation?
Very few nations know their beginning. Very few nations know when they were born. Americans know exactly when we were born. We know the date of when we began, why we began and who founded us.
The why is what we need to reexamine in America today?
We must regain our why despite our differences as we are all brethren of an American nation. But can we resolve the things that separate us as we celebrate our nations 246th birthday?
We are so divided on nearly every subject. We are in the middle of a spiritual culture war whether we want to admit it or not.
There is a greater threat looming and we must come together if we want to remain the UNITED States of America. We can come together as Americans and still hold fast our convictions and principles.
There is one thing that a government fears more than anything else and that is a united people with a common goal and purpose.
[1] McCullough, David. The American Spirit. Pg. 107-108
Restoring Faith, Family, and Freedom in America 