When One is the Loneliest Number
“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Romans 5:3-5 KJV
In my sophomore, junior, and senior years of high school I ran track. I was probably just an average track runner, maybe a little above average my senior year. I was definitely not a super star. My sophomore and junior track teams were filled with super stars. Records were broken all the time those two years. In my junior year our track team even won state.
I know this will surprise some, but I ran the half and quarter mile races. The quarter mile was once around the track and the half mile was twice around the track. I also ran on the relay teams where each person ran either a quarter or half mile. I always preferred the half mile and I even wished the coach would have given me the opportunity to run the mile. I was too scared of him to ask him to let me run the mile.
George Washington is the only President to be elected unanimously and he would be elected unanimously twice. We have had 57 Presidential elections and those are the only two times everyone could agree on just one person. But George Washington might have had company if it wasn’t for William Plumer.
William Plumer was an elector from New Hampshire. At the time, New Hampshire voters chose their electors. Folklore states that Plumer cast the lone dissenting vote in the election of 1820, because he wanted only Washington’s names to stand in time as the only unanimously elected President. Most historians disagree about this assessment.
I believe it would have been an awesome experience to physically have Jesus as a mentor. Although He was quick to correct, the love He conveyed knew no bounds. He didn’t let your head get too big because you were part of His exclusive group, but He convinced you to be humble by doing things like washing your feet. He spoke of the great responsibility of those given much, but He wasn’t afraid to dine and associate with the tax collectors.
His rag-tag team of twelve would cause Him many headaches. They probably picked up the wrong dictionary for the definition of Messiah. I think they might have thought He had come to overthrow the world, or at least their part of it, in a different way. After all, that type of kingdom is much easier to understand.
My senior year of track was quite different. Almost all the stars of the last two years had graduated. The coach was left with an average team and a few people with potential. After two years of just about being able to walk on the field with his stars and be handed the trophy, now the victories would come one event at a time.
It was in one of those events the coach called together all those running the half mile. We were racing against our rival school. He said we needed at least two of the three places (first, second and third) if we were going to have enough points to win the meet. I was pumped up and ready to do my part. The gun fired and off we went. I quickly moved to the front and I could tell there were many racing close behind me. As we came to the end of the first lap the time keeper called out the lap times. As I crossed the line in first I knew I was in trouble and my time confirmed this. I ran the first lap in just about the time I usually ran the quarter mile (the one lap race). I still had a lap to go.
William Plumer was a Federalist and he was heartbroken that the Federalist Party was pretty much over. The Federalists did not even field a candidate in this election. Plumer wasn’t a huge fan of President James Monroe, who was running for reelection. Monroe won the election of 1820 with all the Electoral votes except the one cast by Plumer. But who did Plumer vote for?
One of Jesus’ discouraged disciples got a little frustrated with the pace of Jesus’ campaign. This didn’t seem like a revolution anymore. For whatever purpose, Judas decided to turn Jesus over to the authorities. One man, one decision, one outcome. He would be filled with so much regret that he would hang himself.
There is an expression in track. It is “the bear jumping on your back.” It comes about when you are racing as hard as you can and it feels like this giant bear is on your back making it that much harder to finish the race. About half way through that second lap that’s exactly what happened to me. The train wanted to keep rolling, but there was no coal left to throw into the fire. I had the heart; I just didn’t have the energy. I watched as I got passed by. One boy, one decision (to run a race different than he was capable), one outcome. I sat on the sidelines dejected.
So who exactly received William Plumer lone vote? It was for James Monroe’s Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams. So thanks to John Quincy Adams and William Plumer, George Washington, to this day, has remained the only person elected unanimously to the Presidency. One man, one vote, one outcome.
I was lucky because our track team still won the meet by two points. We are all lucky because Jesus still found a way to be victorious, even with the betrayal of a friend. George Washington was lucky that William Plumer disliked James Monroe.
Prayer: Dear Mighty Father, Sometimes life presents us with opportunities to be patient and wait. Instead I sometimes try to fix things myself, at my pace. Please give me the courage, strength and wisdom to not get ahead of You. Amen.
