Abraham Lincoln was born 207 years ago today.
Lincoln was a humble man of extremely humble origins. His mother died when he was a young child but his father remarried and Lincoln's stepmother proved to be a woman whose influence was an advantage to her young stepson.
By every standard today, and even by the standards of his own day, Lincoln should not have risen to the pinnacle of power in the United States. He had no degrees, he had no influential friends. He was possessed, however of a great and insatiable intellect that he nurtured from his youth.
His physical stature equipped him for hard manual labor but his mind allowed him to enter first the profession of law where he distinguished himself, then the realm of politics where he attained the ultimate prize.
Even these 200 years after his birth, his life is a great inspiration. President Lincoln's life journey is a reminder to young people that they are not relegated by their circumstances to a life of obscurity. He is a reminder to all of us that we need not accept the status quo.
President Lincoln, in lawyers' terminology, is "exhibit A" that no societal limitation can hold one back from his God-ordained destiny.
No comments:
Post a Comment