Worthy of Emulation

January 15

"We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience." George Washington

There have been TV and movie productions that endeavor to depict two of the great heroes of the American experience. Let me state emphatically that although there may be an element of historical accuracy in them, each of the recent ones contains one glaring, over-arching error that renders them unfaithful to the task of presenting Washington and Lincoln in a true light. Both of these men were men of honor. They were born in an age when honor and personal integrity, were esteemed, and although neither man was, or claimed to be un-flawed, each had a persona of dignified comportment.

This element of their characters was recognized even by their enemies. An outstanding example of this statement is the fact that even as a young man, Washington was possessed of an aura of invincibility that came from the Christ he loved and in whom he professed unshakable faith. Before Washington became the hero of the American Revolution, he was a young surveyor whose encounters with Native Americans are recounted by these indigenous peoples.

They attest to having shot Washington with their well-aimed arrows only to have them deflected from him by an unseen hand. That the hand of God was upon this man who was destined for great things is affirmed by those who had been his enemies but who became admirers who recognized that he was set apart by the ‘Great Spirit’ for great things. Surely, it was these sorts of experiences to which Washington alluded when he spoke of looking back to profit by dearly bought experience.

And Lincoln, unlike his portrayal in the new movie about him, was neither given to nor did he abide profanity or blasphemy. Indeed, those of his officers who indulged such were reprimanded. This man of humble beginnings who attained greatness had read and re-read the Bible countless times and he was a proponent of its admonition that the name of the Lord be rightly handled and never taken in vain, according to the third commandment in Exodus 20:7. These American heroes were indeed heroes of the faith. May our leaders today, not just in America but in all lands, emulate them.