The kids have no school today and the husband has the day off work. We take this Monday to honor 2 great men in American History – George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Washington and Lincoln stood up for their beliefs. Our country is what it is in large part because of their ideas and values. And politics. And religion. But mostly politics.
As frustrated as I am with politics in 2013, the more I research American History with my home schooled 5th grader, I’m pretty sure I would have been just as frustrated in 1776. Or 1862.
And I KNOW I would have been passionately vocal against various religious practices in that time just as I am today.
Things really haven’t changed all that much.
Thank God I opened up my Bible today. In the book of James, I was reminded of what is truly, ultimately, incredibly paramount to my life and how I want to raise my kids.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James 1:27
In the season of Lent, my Twitter feed is full of what people have given up so they may focus on Jesus. However, I am motivated most by the words of Isaiah.
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
Isaiah 58:6
Did George and Abe know these verses? I’m not sure. But even in the politicalness of politics, I have to think they were motivated by at least a twinge of social injustice.
I hope these verses motivate you throughout your day. We may not go down in history or have banks close in honor of us – but can we make our lives meaningful enough that others will benefit from our time on earth?
Related Posts:
Pursuing Justice: A Review
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