“As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.” I Peter 2:16 KJV
The older gentleman opened the door as I brought the shopping cart back. The smoked glass windows didn’t allow me to see inside the building, hence, I was a little startled when the door suddenly opened.
This door opening doesn’t happen all that often. It’s not that I mind opening the door, it’s just a little tricky doing it. I have to move from pushing the cart to pulling the cart at the same time I reach for the door handle. After I open the door, I have to push the cart from the side while I hold the door open. During that whole process, I need to dodge the people waiting inside.
So, having someone hold the door open for me was a very pleasant surprise. It took all the adventure out of something happening, like breaking the glass in the door, or pushing the cart into someone.
What was more surprising was that he did this several times in my cart returning process. Each time he greeted me with the biggest smile. It was almost like he enjoyed doing it.
I volunteer for our church’s food pantry. The first Sunday of each month we quickly get set up after the last church service to be ready for our one o’clock opening. Many people are lined up far in advance of us even starting to set up. I can honestly say I have never encountered an ungrateful patron.
After I help everyone set up, I like to help the patrons take their grocery items to their car. With some of them, I just hand them the bags because they have a special way, they want the items arranged in their car. Others are extremely grateful that I lift up the bags and put them in their cars for them.
The helping them with their groceries is my favorite part of those days. It gives me the opportunity to talk with and get to know them. I hear some of their stories and I know none of my problems are as bad as some of theirs.
For the gentleman I described above, it was his first Sunday coming to our food pantry. I had seen other people visit our food pantry excited about some relief from their hunger, so I just chalked it up to that, at first. Eventually the gentleman’s turn came up. I returned to my normal door maneuvering talents once he started on his journey through the food stacked on the tables inside.
In the earliest days of our country, American authorship, as least as far as books were concerned, was practically nonexistent. There are many reasons for this plight, but the one that stands out the most is that books were very expensive and not many of the colonists had extra money laying around to be able to afford them. That made professional American authorship almost a nonexistent career.
The literacy rate, because there weren’t that many schools, was probably not very high either. Since there weren’t many people who could read, this also caused market suppression. So, most of those who did write books, it was usually a part-time thing or to express a political view.
Websters adds words to its dictionary almost every year. Since the story we are going to visit took place many years ago, there are many more words in use today than there were back then. One of those words, which we have today, and they didn’t have back then, is ghostwriting. Ghostwriting is when someone either is a large contributor to your book or article, or they actually write a book under your name.
When they write it under your name, they usually interview you, which leads you to answering a lot of questions they ask you. It helps them to get to know you and hopefully write in a style that no one can tell it isn’t really you who wrote the book. In the end, they usually have you read over their work and see if it describes you, or your idea, the way you want it exposed.
Another word, in our early history that wasn’t there before, was copywriting. Copywriting offers a writer a method of recourse in case someone takes something they have written and uses it without the writer’s permission, or they take their works and claim it as their own. Today, many a college student or high public official, has gotten in trouble for plagiarism. In colonial times, this was not the case, plagiarism wasn’t thought of as a bad thing, or even an illegal thing.
The first “real,” professional writer in America was probably Benjamin Franklin. His Farmer’s Alamac was extremely popular. Franklin, himself, might have even been able to claim the title of the “Most Popular Man in America” at this time. When Franklin came out with his autobiography, it completely changed the American book market.
Instantly, Americans became interested in the lives of their leaders and their heroes. It also proved there was a market in America for books. One of the first to take advantage of Franklin’s road-paving was another American who was extremely popular. This gentleman was also a pretty good writer himself. That was Thomas Jefferson.
Freedom is one of those great gifts that we sometimes forget is actually a gift. Many outside America have no idea what freedom tastes like. But it begs to be asked, are we ever really free. Sure, we in the United States have stated freedoms embedded in our Constitution, but as you walk around everyday there are still things you are not free from.
We don’t just go to work because we enjoy it. There are debts, like house and car payments, we must somehow pay. That food on your plate didn’t grow on any tree. Well, maybe part of it grew on a tree, but even that tree probably didn’t grow in your yard. Then there are things we want to help us enjoy everyday life, like eBay or Amazon.
Let’s not forget other things we aren’t free from like emotional attachments and feelings. When someone we love is injured or hurt, we feel a pain, too. We are not free from pain even if it isn’t personally ours. How about when someone wrongs you? Freedom seems to be replaced with resentment, anger, or even thoughts of revenge.
Where is freedom from hurt when someone dies? Why, if we are truly free, can’t things always go our way? Can’t countries, possibly even ours, be toppled and have their freedoms taken away? It seems even events, like hurt or bad health, can take some of our freedoms away. If freedoms can be taken away, aren’t they then just gifts? Aren’t gifts something we should appreciate, not something we necessarily deserve? Sometimes I feel we Americans forget that.
Maybe if we didn’t have those freedoms, and had to fight for them, we would appreciate them more. Then again, the comfort of someone else being responsible for our lives might make us lazy, even apathetic about life. If you really think about it, freedom is hard work and a never-ending process.
It seems to me we sometimes get freedom and selfishness mixed up. Selfishness is feeling like we have to always get our way. Freedom is knowing that you have the right to work at getting our way. The strange thing about working to get our way is that sometimes when we are in the middle of it, we change. Our eyesight gets challenged by this thing called compassion. We start to realize that others may need their rights more than we need ours.
Korah is a character in the Bible. He was born a slave. Freedom was just a dream because his people had been slaves for over 400 years. I’m sure most of his days were filled with dread in knowing that he had to go to a job, not of his choosing, but one he was told to go to. There would never be a pat on the back for a job well done or a pay raise because he was moving on up. No, if he didn’t accomplish someone else’s goal all he could expect was a beating.
I’m sure there were those who rose up to try to offer his people hope that there was a path to freedom, but each was probably beaten senseless for even thinking such a thing. Fear kept organized protests under control. Korah surely wasn’t going to be the one to start anything.
Then one day a miracle happened. Someone rose up and challenged the system Korah had grown up in. It was an exile who had been gone from the country for forty years. He claimed God came to him and told him to go to the leader of the nation and to tell him to set Korah and his people free. Everyone was excited, including Korah.
“You go get them,” was the cry. Well, that was until the leader decided to take this demand out on not the person who delivered the message, but on all of Korah’s people. Since these “lazy” people had time to think of things, like freedom, they must have too much time on their hands, the leader thought. No more mister nice guy from him.
“Make their workload heavier and make their workdays longer. Anyone who can’t keep up, beat them even harder,” the leader demanded. There would be no revolt on his watch. Korah joined most of his people in questioning this visionary on his idea of freedom. Maybe freedom wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
This visionary didn’t give up despite his people’s protests that it wasn’t worth it. It took a whole lot of persuasion, but eventually the leader reluctantly relented. Now Korah and all the other Hebrews put this visionary on a pedestal as perhaps the greatest Hebrew of all time. “Freedom, I can’t wait!” they all exclaimed.
Shortly after the Hebrews left, the former leader decided he didn’t make a very wise decision. He decided to send his soldiers to recapture his slaves. How dare they even think they deserved freedom.
When the Hebrews were trapped between the sea and the charging soldiers, freedom didn’t look so valuable. Most, and I’m sure Korah was a part of them, wanted to just to turn themselves in. Maybe if they did that the leader wouldn’t punish them too harshly.
This gentleman, at the food pantry, led his wife around the tables. She didn’t say much. I could tell he was the personality in their relationship. As he passed each table, his smile was always just as bright. He would greet each person at a table with a warm greeting and those pearly whites. Many people cross these tables, and as I said before, almost all of them are grateful for this opportunity. From this standpoint, I’m not sure he stood out much. With me, other than him being a great door opener, and having a great smile, I’m not sure he even stood out either.
Then it was his turn to witness my cart-departing service. I took his cart from him and told him to guide me to his car. As I helped him unload his groceries, he told me he had stage 4 cancer, and he had finished all the treatments they were going to give him. He said he didn’t know about our food pantry, but he was sure glad his wife and him had found it. “I don’t feel bad, or like there is even anything wrong,” he told me about his health.
I turned and looked at his wife and wondered what she would do if something ever happened to him. Her health didn’t look good, and her quiet disposition caused me to question whether her quietness would win over her pride if, one day, she might need to stand up for herself and search for help.
Turning back and looking at him again, I saw the smile was still there, bright as ever. It was like this was his life and no one, or thing, was going to cause him to not enjoy every minute of it. I went back inside pondering their dilemma.
A few minutes later I looked outside, and he was still there. I noticed he was looking at the front of his old, beat-up car. Then I noticed that someone was helping him with a flat tire he had. “Oh no, not another thing happening to him,” I thought. But then I looked at his face. His smile was still there.
In 1774, the Continental Congress met for the first time. A little bit before this event, Virginians decided to meet in Williamsburg, Virginia to select delegates to send to this Congress. Thomas Jefferson was on his way to Williamsburg when he came down with dysentery. He had to turn back and head home.
Jefferson did not want his voice not to be heard, so he sent a lengthy list of potential resolutions to help the chosen Virginia delegates. His colleagues liked it so much that they printed it in a pamphlet called A Summary View. Jefferson’s name was not attached to it because that just wasn’t done at this time.
A Summary View became quite popular. Many would use it and some would even claim it as their own. But Jefferson’s flowery style and way with words made it clearly his work. This anonymity became quite popular in colonial times.
In 1780 Frenchman Francois Barbe-Marbois sent a questionnaire to America to ask about them. Seems he, and Europe were fascinated about America. There may have a little bit of “we just want to prove we are better than you” in his thought process, but it made for interesting research.
Again, since there were no copyright laws at the time, Jefferson took a lot of those questions Marbois posed, without citing Marbois, and asked them of some of his fellow Virginians. He would use this to write his book, Notes on the State of Virginia, to try to prove that America, or at least Virginia, was not inferior to Europe, but actually superior. The book become quite popular in both Europe and America.
This was, again, a case that Jefferson did not actually attach his name to the book, even though it became quite popular. This is the way American authorship was done in the beginning, and it wasn’t until later that authors crave the attention that came with having their names on their books or works.
Now comes one of the most controversial stories from that period on authorship. This one involves two presidents and Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton was George Washington’s Secretary of Treasury when Washington became president. Jefferson was Washington’s Secretary of State. Jefferson and Hamilton rarely saw eye to eye, but in this story Jefferson is absent.
The other future president was James Madison. Although Madison doesn’t play a huge role in the story, he is the one who gets it started. After two terms, Washington decides he has had enough of being president and he is going to retire. He wants to write a farewell speech that emotionally leaves his fellow citizens understanding his desire, but also his great love for the country he has helped start.
This farewell speech, at least the final version, is hailed as one of the greatest farewell speeches any of our presidents has ever given. Washington wasn’t a great writer, but there is no 100 percent way to prove who actually wrote it.
Washington apparently goes to Madison and ask him to help him write the address. Madison had done a great job writing Washington’s first inaugural address. Translated, Washington wants Madison to ghostwrite (which the term has not been “invented” yet) the farewell address and he, Washington, will take the credit. Madison, the Father of the Constitution, was actually a pretty good writer himself.
The story goes, that when Washington received Madison’s copy, he wasn’t completely thrilled with it, so he gives the copy to Hamilton to make improvements. Hamiliton then rewrites the whole thing and gives his copy to Washington, who loves it. Apparently, there weren’t many similarities between Madison’s idea and Hamiliton’s idea. From this story, it is also the heartful version which is called Washington’s Farewell Address.
Washington hand wrote out a final copy of the farewell address and sent it to the printer so everyone could read the manuscript. This gave the impression that Washington wrote it. No one seemed to question Washington’s authorship.
No problem, because at this day, and time, this is just the way things were done. Fast forward a few years and things start to change. Washington passes away. Then Jefferson is running for president, and he wants to claim that he actually did write the very popular A Summary View. Although there is a committee that was assigned the task of writing the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson also is getting his name attached to writing it with the others just offering suggestions and editing some of his great work.
Well, about this time, Hamilton starts to get a little jealous of all these others starting to get credit for their writing. What about him? Most of the Federalist Papers were written by him under a pseudonym. Why should James Madison and John Jay share equal credit with him? After all, he wrote most of them.
But, by far, the most favorite of American writings, Washington’s Farewell Address, Hamilton wants to claim as his, too. At this time, Hamilton isn’t one of the most popular guys in America, so this claim comes off as more of an ego trip than something that actually happened.
Before anything gets truly resolved, Hamilton is killed in a duel with Aaron Burr. After Hamiliton’s death, his wife, Eliza takes up the Washington Farewell Address battle. Today, most “scholars” believe that it was Hamilton who was the actual author. I guess we will never know, with 100% certainty, who the author really was.
Moses was sent by God to deliver Korah, and the Hebrews enslaved in Egypt out of the bondage they faced there. At first, they were excited that they had a visionary to lead them. This one was different than all the other and they thought this just might be the real thing to free them.
Like I said above, freedom is hard work. Korah and his people thought it was just something that happened at the snap of the fingers. Deep down it was more like they were thinking someone else would do that work and they would just enjoy the fruits of those labors.
After the tenth plague, Pharaoh relented and let the Hebrews leave. No one ranked higher in the Hebrew mind than Moses did at this point. Finally, someone had actually did what they said they were going to do and they walked out of Egypt as free citizens.
Pharaoh had one of his “what was I thinking” thoughts and changed his mind. He probably thought his country needed these slaves. Who was going to do all the work? So, he sent his soldiers after them.
The Hebrews were trapped between the Red Sea and the Egyptian soldiers with no other option as to where to go. The hero, Moses, at the snap of the fingers, became the bad guy. Everyone wondered how he could be so cruel as to just bring them out here to die. Worse yet, if they surrendered, they had to face the embarrassment and punishment of their slave masters.
Once again God would save them using Moses to guide them across a divided Red Sea which He had parted for them. When the Egyptians tried to follow them, God closed the sea up and the Egyptian soldiers drowned. Once again, the Hebrews were in awe of Moses.
I wish I could say that was the last time the Hebrews doubted Moses’ leadership and God’s strength and control, but it wasn’t. Over and over again they rebelled. They wanted freedom to be an easy road, and this definitely wasn’t an easy road.
Then there came a time when God says something like, “Enough is enough.” Here is actually when Korah’s name first comes into our story. Korah organized a rebellion against Moses and his leadership. It is one of the few incidents in their exodus that God actually takes the ultimate punishment out on His people.
God opens up the earth and it swallows Korah, his family and his cohorts. Then a fire consumes 250 others that were part of Korah’s party. There would never be any reason to doubt God’s resolve. These deaths surely showed that.
Ego is often the biggest enemy to freedom. It is probably followed closely by selfishness. We want things our way and we want them to happen when we want them to happen. It’s bad enough we only want our way with others, but, at times, we want to even take it out of the hands of God, too.
When we were fighting for our freedom, and when we were just a young country, we didn’t really care who got the credit. We wanted one thing: freedom. As long as we are free, that should be all that matters, were our thoughts. Then ego and selfishness creeped in and other’s freedom wasn’t as important anymore. It became more of freedom as we thought freedom should be defined.
As if that weren’t enough, we developed a “look at me,” or “I should be getting credit for that idea” train of thought. Freedom had to live in our shadows. When others’ ideas of freedom, that didn’t meet our standards, were presented, bitterness replaced listening and compassion.
Soon, “four score and seven years” later, shotguns replaced words, and brother was killing brother for their differences. Freedom, where is your victory? Does not the troubled heart need a resting spot to rest on your laurels, freedom? Can’t more than one flower bloom in a garden?
Maybe we need a bright, smiling example to open our doors so we can see what freedom is really supposed to look like. Or maybe God can open our ground and show us what it isn’t supposed to look like.
Prayer: Dear Mighty Father, From the moment You chose to give us freedom in the Garden of Eden, we seem to be doing it the wrong way. Oh, what a beautiful world You have given us, but we continually decide what our freedom should look like. Help us to understand that the world would be such a better place if we only used your definition of freedom. Amen.
