The Buck Stops Here

March 21

The buck stops here. - President Harry Truman

I am not a student of history so my understanding of who Truman was may not be precise, but he is the first president that I remember. My childhood observation was that he was honored and respected by the adults in my life. They were democrats so that wouldn't be a surprise to me—except that I didn't have a clue at that time as to what being a democrat meant. My first memory of a presidential election was when Dwight Eisenhower ran against Adlay Stevenson. My family respected Ike for winning the war and all...but they were for the democrat. My parents attended a Stevenson rally. Our little community was a thriving industrial union area so he visited there.

The point I’m leading to here is that President Truman inherited a war. Unlike some politicians today who blame former administrations for adverse conditions facing the voters, Truman assumed responsibility for the problems swirling around the country at that time. He had been Roosevelt’s vice-president and everyone knows the vice-president isn't involved in a great amount of governance, but this president didn't lay the blame for the problems of war upon his predecessor who had been in office for well-beyond the allotted two terms. He accepted that he was now in the seat of power; therefore; it was he who now had control.

We must emulate President Truman with that one unequivocal assertion in our own lives. Each of us must say, regarding the things we think and say and do and believe—"The buck stops here." It is easy to fall into the trap of believing that it is someone else who pulls our strings...that we are mere puppets who are jerked here and there by people and circumstances beyond our control. And there are indeed people and circumstances in our lives that cause our lives to be more or less difficult, but it is ultimately our choice as to how we will react to them.

Will we allow the good people, the good things, to encourage us, to lift us up, to affirm the reality of God's love and provision and complete care for us or will we allow the bad people to depress us, to drag us down, to make us wonder if even God can love us? What will we do? "The buck stops here." Will we hold our burdens tightly as though they were some valued possession that we can't bear to lose or will we "Cast all our care on Jesus for He cares for us"? (I Peter 5:7) What will we do? "The buck stops here."

Will we wallow in misery today and carry our mindset of gloom and depression and despair into another 24 hours of hopelessness or will we "Redeem the time," Ephesians 5:16, although “the days are evil,” knowing time is a precious gift from the Christ who wants us to possess His finest gifts in the realm of time? What will we do? "The buck stops here."

Will we allow our mind to become our prison where we are not free to hope in the promises God has extended to us in His Word? Will we negate His offer of His own joy that is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10), His own faith that moves mountains (Matthew 17:20), His own peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7), His own love that never fails (I Corinthians 13:8), His own power (II Timothy 1:17), which delivers us from fear, His own Spirit who dwells within us (I Corinthians 3:16)? Or will we embrace the promises to ourselves—even if we don't understand, even if we don't see the advantage in doing so? What will we do? "The buck stops here."

Whatever has transpired to date, whatever happened yesterday, allow today to be the day of your new beginning! Let today be the day that you sing along with the beautiful words of Rich Mullins' amazing song, MY DELIVERER IS COMING, "Though the stars break faith with the sky, though I doubt my heart, though I doubt my mind, I will never doubt His promise!"

No matter what men may say or do to cause you to believe there is no hope in the world and no help in the Savior, don't allow them or their distortion of the gospel to cause you to wither into the depression and despair that hopelessness causes! NO! Hold fast to the WORD OF GOD THAT CANNOT FAIL AND CANNOT LIE! HOLD FAST TO THE CHRIST WHO LOOKS AT YOU WITH EYES OF ACCEPTANCE AND FORGIVENESS AND LOVE and allow the favor in which you abide because you are HIS and HE IS YOURS to influence everything you say, everything you do, everything you are in the inner man—for good! What will you do? "The buck stops here!"