20 | October | 2011 | blogsense-by-barb

Tags

"life lessons", American, American Conservative, American history, American Interests, Building Character, Committment, Human nature, The BEST of America

Have you ever noticed that lighting one match in a dark room is all one needs to chase the darkness away? One small flame and darkness is gone. It doesn’t require a spotlight or a bonfire, just one small match.

I am convinced that the ills of our nation run much deeper than our political ties. We have abandoned our faith. We have allowed IDOLS to be erected around our nation, and whether it’s celebrities, athletes, or even knowledge, they cannot replace faith. We have allowed our common ground of morality to be widdled away, sliver by sliver until there seems to be no common ground left (or right.)

I do not buy the fabrication of life as portrayed by the Left, because I believe the American people remain a people of faith. You see, it really is not about WHAT faith, because most major faiths have moral principles that are shared in common with others, with the exception of Islam. But that is no reason why Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, 7th Day Adventists … etc can’t come together on the common ground of the 10 Commandments or even the “Greatest Commandment.”

At age 16, George Washington began to accumulate and memorize what has become known as “George Washington’s Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.” In reality, George Washington did not compose these rules. “They are based on a set of rules composed by French Jesuits in 1595. Presumably they were copied out as part of an exercise in penmanship assigned by young Washington’s schoolmaster. The first English translation of the French rules appeared in 1640, and are ascribed to Francis Hawkins the twelve-year-old son of a doctor.”

The folks in biblical times wanted a summary of the commandments, kind of like us, they sought a shortcut. This is that discussion!

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied:

“‘Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it:
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
All the Law and the Prophets
hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36-40

If each Americanreconnected with their faith, and those who chose to live between faiths found a common moral ground or with simple rules of Civility… the evils we see encroaching into our lives and our culture would lose their power over us. If we, as neighbors, reached out to our neighbors, got to know them, and maybe even became friends, we might begin to regain trust and fear would diminish. When the light shines, the darkness fades!

Morality (or civility) is not just a bunch of rules and regulations. It is a compass by which we chose to live. It is a system by which we can intelligently guide our life and steer our heart. Traditionally, our Judeo-Christian morality was the glue that held Americans together in spite of our profound differences. People from all over the world were able to come together on this foundation and build a new, improved life as Americans. It was the unnamed presumption of our Founding Fathers. This morality is not gone, it has merely been hidden beneath the weight of everyday life and the lies of Progressivism.

It is for such a time as this that we need our morality, our faith, our foundation and our common ground. We must find a way to come together in spite of our differences! When the gales of daily hardship blow against us, it is our morals, our faith, our basic kindness that will serve as the light that will see us through the storm. Without it, we are lost to the storm.