Humility - Compassion - Justice
By Kendall Hewitt
America faces a cruel enemy beyond its borders.
But we face a greater enemy within.
When we as "individuals" lose sight
that, somewhere out there, a little boy in an
orphanage wonders if he matters, we have lost
our way. When we lose sight of the elderly woman
with no family, lying alone and afraid, we have
lost our way.
When we lose sight of the single mother who
has no hope to protect her children, we have
lost our way. When we lose sight of the little
girl who cannot escape her father entering her
bedroom at night, we have lost our way. When
we lose sight of the little boy that just watched
his father locked up for life, we have lost
our way.
When our hearts drift, we lose sight of the
God that created us and made us a great nation.
It is then that we have strayed from the path
of life, it is there that we lose the soul of
our nation, it is there that we lose our America.
A friend recently told me that we do not have
an epidemic of drugs, violence, and immorality,
"We have an epidemic of broken hearts."
When Abraham Lincoln said, "We have grown
in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation
has ever grown, but we have forgotten God,"
he was not talking about the government - he
was talking about individual people.
In his Inaugural address, President Bush said,
"no insignificant person was ever born."
Understanding this is the bedrock of our survival.
It is only when our hearts are touched by the
heart of God, to champion the deepest wounds
of our society, that we find the original path.
Our Christian forefathers blazed this trail
after they landed on these shores, and as citizens,
built our original hospitals, schools, and orphanages.
The laws of liberals or conservatives alone
cannot solve the crisis we face.
This is not the sole job of republicans and
democrats. This responsibility is not the work
of the government alone– it is clearly
our responsibility as individuals, families,
and communities of people who sincerely care
for those around us.
But neither can our wounds be healed by religious
words alone. And we cannot save ourselves with
our intellect, military might, or by the strength
of a political party. Laws alone cannot stop
Oklahoma City bombings, Columbine Massacres,
or the destruction of our cities by terrorists.
But we can humble ourselves before the One who
can.
Embracing this call is the great hope to claim
our purpose. This is what makes us a "shining
city on a hill." And our embracing this
call will determine our destiny.
The framework of our government was never intended
to replace individual love and service to our
neighbor. We hold the power in every city and
state across this great land, to heal the wounds
around us. Now we have been reduced to fighting
each other at the highest political levels,
over who in government is going to care for
the man bleeding beside the road. We question,
"who will we vote into office, to save
him before he bleeds to death? Instead of taking
care of the need ourselves, we blame a political
party and feel rightly justified.
In his book, The Micah Mandate, historian George
Grant explains how we have reduced our responsibility
for the gravest ills in our society to the following
phrase, " And now abide faith, hope, and
politics. But the greatest of these is politics.
Or so it seems."
Misguided politicians have reduced the context
for helping people, to be discussed in the realm
of political solutions alone. This must change
before Americans destroy their own government,
through good intentions coupled with mass ignorance.
Sincere love and compassion for our families,
neighbors, and suffering can never be, and was
never intended to be the burden of government
alone. Love and compassion for the great needs
of our society is the work of everyday people
leading everyday lives.
Government has a tough enough job as it is.
Dr. George Grant quotes the spokesman for the
Kremlin under Joseph Stalin, in his book, The
Micah Mandate. Stalin’s spokesman was
speaking of the charitable activities of the
church. He said; "The State cannot tolerate
any challenge to its claim on the heartstrings
of the people." This should tell us something.
Our first Supreme Court Chief Justice, John
Jay, said,
" No human society has ever been able
to maintain both order and freedom, both cohesiveness
and liberty apart from the moral precepts of
the Christian Religion applied and accepted
by all the classes. Should our Republic ere
forget this fundamental precept of governance,
men are certain to shed their responsibilities
for licentiousness, and this great experiment
will then surely be doomed."
Every citizen should remember the words of
inspiration from President Bush in his Inaugural
address:
"Abandonment and abuse are not acts of
God, they are failures of love…Where there
is suffering there is duty…all of us are
diminished when any are hopeless…Compassion
is the work of a nation, not just a government…Some
hurts are so deep they will only respond to
a mentor’s touch or a pastor’s prayer…When
we see the wounded traveler beside the road
to Jericho, we will not pass to the other side…The
most important tasks of a democracy are done
by everyone…I ask you to seek a common
good beyond your comfort…to serve your
nation beginning with your neighbor."
In the First World War, former President Teddy
Roosevelt inscribed, in the New Testaments given
to each soldier preparing to set sail, the following
message:
"Remember, no machinery of government
will keep us as a nation from destruction if
there is not within us a soul. No abounding
material prosperity shall avail us if our spiritual
senses atrophy." He also went on to say,
"Love mercy; treat your enemies well; succor
the afflicted; treat every woman as if she were
your sister; care for the little children; and
be tender with the old and helpless. Walk humbly;
you will do so if you study the life and teachings
of the Savior, walking in His steps."
These are truths that challenge our character
as a people.
Chuck Colson, in his book, "How Now Shall
We Live" says, "In choosing to follow
God or go our own way, we are either helping
to create hell on earth, or to bring down a
foretaste of heaven. We are either contributing
to the broken condition of the world, or participating
with God in transforming the world."
American Destiny is trumpeting a clarion call
to rally "the armies of compassion, humility,
and justice," to engage the deepest wounds
in our America.
The call is to remember, restore, and rebuild,
by giving your life away in service to others,
beginning with your own family, and then to
the suffering, hopeless, and desperate of our
nation and world. And to walk in humility before
the God that blessed this nation.
This is the heart of our Savior and Creator.
This is the great hope to claim our purpose.
Embracing this call makes us a "shining
city on a hill."
And our embracing this call will determine
our destiny.
Founder and President
American Destiny, Inc.
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