Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast.
James 5:11
Hiram and I saw the Lincoln movie before Christmas. We left the theater profoundly impressed by Lincoln’s steadfast determination to end slavery, no matter the cost. The film motivated me to check out the audio version (all 36 CDs) of A Team of Rivals, the book upon which the movie is based.
Doris Kearns Goodwin, the historian who penned this fascinating read–or listen–traces the lives of the four Republican contenders in the 1860 presidential race. Lincoln won the presidency, though his childhood was disadvantaged, and he had a much smaller political base than did the other candidates vying for the office. After winning the presidency, Lincoln appointed the three rivals to his cabinet. Edward Bates of Missouri became Attorney General. New York’s William H. Steward became Secretary of State, and Salmon P. Chase of Ohio was appointed Secretary of the Treasury.
So why did Lincoln rise above the other contenders? How did he escape obscurity and become our nation’s greatest president? The more I read of him, the more Lincoln’s lifelong steadfastness emerges. From a young age, he wanted to make a difference. He believed he could make a difference and had a purpose to fulfill. To accomplish it this man, who had less than a year of formal schooling, read constantly and widely. He continued reading and learning long after he passed the bar exam. During his forties, when he was an Illinois circuit court lawyer, he took Euclid’s geometry with him from town to town and mastered the subject. When political opportunities arose, he steadfastly pursued them. Eventually, he became president.
Though Lincoln wasn’t a dedicated church goer, he read the Bible throughout his life and found solace in it as the Civil War raged. Definitive proof of his faith has never been established, but the proof of his steadfastness is unassailable. Because of his steadfastness, a great evil of American society was abolished. Because of his steadfastness, future generations of citizens were and are being blessed.
And I often wonder what would happen if we, who profess to be Christians and have many more advantages than did Lincoln, were as steadfast as the sixteenth president was. How would God move with power in the lives of steadfast people committed to his will? What evils of society would be abolished? What good purpose would God accomplish through us? What blessings would we pass along to future generations?
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,
and virtue with knowledge,and knowledge with self-control,
and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,
and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing,
they keep you from being ineffective
or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Peter 1:5–8
photo credit: stock.xchng
