February 16, 2009

President's Day Posting

I am so grateful for our nation's first president. One of the major reasons for this is because he chose to be a president at all. He could've chosen to have joined the British, at the beginning of the war or at any point during it, like Benedict Arnold. When the war had been won, Washington could've chosen to have become a king, and it would've been fairly easy for him to do so. He could instead have chosen to retire to his home and gotten a well-earned and well-deserved rest.

Instead of ruling our nation, he chose to serve it, and instead of resting, he worked hard. Yet he never imagined himself to be the only man capable of leading us. Voluntarily he laid down his power after two terms, in order to prevent tyranny. His example was followed by succeeding presidents for more than a century.

Washington was inspired to do these things by his faith in Jesus, which told him that the greatest leaders were the greatest servants. His faith told him that he still had work to do, shepherding our nation through its beginning stages, and he did so with humility. His faith told him that his cause was in the right, and so he stuck with the Continental Army even through the devastating winter of Valley Forge.

His perseverance, his humility, his service to our country, and his faith, are why we today hail George Washington as one of our greatest leaders. I am very grateful that our nation had such a good exemplar of character to start our course. Let us be careful today to follow his example.