Follow the Leader
As I sit here at the steps of the Capitol in Washington DC, I’m amazed with all our country has been through. In 1814, the British came and burned this beautiful building where I now sit at the foot of. Way across the Mall, almost 150 years later, in August of 1963, The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. would give his famous “I have a dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial.
No, you don’t have to look far to see how blessed we are as a nation. In front of me there are no less than five groups of tourist snapping pictures from all sorts of angles. We are a republic that offers so many freedoms that just over two centuries ago were unimaginable. We have fought together and apart. Voices have been raised from all sorts of opinions. Yet, sooner or later, we figure out that we are much better when we are all in this together.
In front, or maybe it’s the back, I’m not real sure which is the front and which is the back, of the US Capitol sits a statue. The statue looks across the Mall toward the Lincoln Memorial. It is, if you really think about it, the summary of just how unique our system of government is. A fitting description of this statue might be “A General Looks to His Commander.” Where else in the world are you going to find a place where an inexperienced, every day citizen is in command of the military? The general doesn’t command the citizen, but the citizen commands the general.
Some generals have challenged this authority. Our country was falling apart. Deep divide covered the land. People didn’t just disagree with one another, they violently opposed each other. It had gotten to the point where there was even talk of leaving this perfect union. Compromise after compromise finally failed and slowly eleven states seceded.
In his wisdom, President Lincoln knew what a great country we had and he loved it so much. He could not stand the thought of us dividing into two nations. He set out early to end these thoughts, fully expecting his army to crush the rebellion and bring these radicals to their senses. Several early defeats ended those thoughts.
Sometimes greatness comes in strange situations. More often than not it is a slow process whose footprints can only be seen by looking back. The road ahead offers no hints and the soul is but an average individual. Although much is written about him, I really doubt, as his life was going on, that he or anyone else thought he was anything but an average person with a large family, a family he probably never thought he would have.
He was very old and so was his wife. They wanted children so very badly, but it looked like their life together wouldn’t produce any. Finally, his wife gave him one of her maid servants, which was an acceptable practice back then. This produced his first child, a son. Then strangely enough, his old wife got pregnant and he had that real son he always wanted to have with his wife.
President Lincoln grew increasingly frustrated with his general, General George McClellan. It seemed that General McClellan wanted to make sure his troops were well prepared for battle. As the war wore on General McClellan always seemed to have an excuse for not to going to battle. Lincoln even said: “If General McClellan isn’t going to use his army, I’d like to borrow it for a time.” Finally, Lincoln had enough and he fired General McClellan. Lincoln went through several generals until he finally found one that seemed to understand what victory meant. That general is sitting on his horse right in front of me as a statue. He is looking across the Mall toward the Lincoln Memorial and his commander, Abraham Lincoln.
General Grant took command of the army with a new attitude. He kept Lincoln in the loop and his strategy earned him the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant. Grant never questioned Lincoln’s authority or direction.
Our Bible character was also named Abraham. Abraham loved his son Isaac so much. He waited so long for a son and he was so pleased when he finally had one. But God asked Abraham to sacrifice this son. Abraham must have been heart broken. But Abraham didn’t question God and he headed out to do as he was told.
Ulysses S. Grant may go down as one of the greatest generals in our history. Working with President Lincoln they succeeded in making us one nation again. Abraham, of Bible fame, listened to God’s direction and God spared his son, Isaac, and blessed Abraham greatly.
Sometimes listening and following directions is hard. Whether it’s a parent, a teacher, a boss, or even God, our desires sometimes come into conflict with their goals. I think if we spent more of our time listening and learning, than trying to prove our own wisdom, our lives would be so much better.
Prayer: Father, Thank You for this wonderful country in which I’m a citizen. Thank You for Washington DC and the beauty of all her monuments. But most of all, thank You for Your directions and Your guidance. Please let me be a good listener to Your Voice. Amen.
