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Tuesday Morning Epistles
Welcome to "Tuesday Morning"—sending good news around the
world on the day of the national presidential inauguration.
The Late Show was not without its usual sense of humor this
week in the hours prior to the presidential inauguration.
It's "Top Ten" list included the following sign that
indicated nervousness at the highest level of national
politics:
New Slogan: "Yes we can...or maybe not, it's
hard to say"
It's hard to be positive—much less humorous—in the face of
so much negative news. The economy is only part of it. Every
economic forecast indicates that hard times are not only
ahead, they surround us right now. However, in spite of
evidence to the contrary, the future looks bright. Check out
the Old Testament for promises of brighter times ahead. It's
there.
Judah was in bondage in Babylon and would remain in
captivity for 70 years. Jeremiah, the prophet, wrote from
Jerusalem to challenge them to continue to trust in God for
their deliverance. Some of the greatest promises in the Old
Testament are found in Chapter 29 of Jeremiah, where the
prophet speaks in behalf of the Lord God. Here are a few of
his words:
"When seventy years are completed in Babylon, I
will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring
you back to this place...Then you will call upon me and come
and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me
and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be
found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back
from captivity" (29:10-14).
And he did. This week's epistle is entitled, "Crises." Read
on whenever you are ready, and then begin to look forward.
It's time to advance, not retreat.
Tom Barnard
One Positive Dude
________________________________________________________________ Crises Tom Barnard
merica has had its share of crises—internal as well as external. Two world wars in the last century—plus other military engagements of lesser international impact—have left major scars on the nation’s military establishment. American deaths in World War I and II totaled more than 500,000. Wars in Korea and Southeast Asia claimed almost 95,000 U.S. lives. Conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have resulted in the deaths of close to five thousand more Americans. The popular expression, “The War to End All Wars”—said after World War I—was extraordinarily naïve. Like the sign “Mission Accomplished” on the USS Lincoln in May, 2003, it didn’t turn out to be true.
Add a national depression and two major recessions during the past eighty years, and we can say that our parents and grandparents experienced significant crises in their lifetimes. Multiple economic down-turns have rocked both state and federal governments, and the collapse of major lending institutions during the past half year has led to hundreds of thousands of home foreclosures, and families in financial crisis.
Has any previous generation of Americans experienced worse times than we are going through right now? Of course. But to bring up such subjects within hours of the inauguration of a new national administration raises an interesting question. Can America overcome these current crises anytime soon? No one knows for sure, but experts are warning us of a painfully slow economic recovery.
In 1837 Ralph Waldo Emerson was invited to address a Phi Beta Kappa meeting at Harvard. Things had not gone very well for America. Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States, was in the final year of his second term. An experienced politician, Jackson had served as both U.S. congressman and senator. Before that he served in three wars and had risen to the rank of Major General. For a short time he was military governor of Florida and prior to that commander of the American forces at the Battle of New Orleans. Renowned for his tough stance on many issues, he was nicknamed “Old Hickory.”
But “Crises” defined Jackson’s second term. He was soundly criticized for his positions on the federal debt; his supreme court appointments; his opposition to the National Bank; his call for the abolition of the Electoral College; the “Nullification” Crisis—a move to eliminate a possible “secession” by Southern politicians; and his support for what amounted to the relocation of several Native American tribes. During the final years of his presidency, national opposition to him reached a point that it nearly cost him his life. He survived an assassination attempt only because the assailant’s pistols misfired.
With this as a background, Emerson was invited to speak at Harvard. His hearers expected him to add to the political furor surrounding President Jackson. Instead, they heard him say these words:
“This time, like all other times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.”
Emerson went so far as to suggest that one of the best times to be born is during a revolution. He implied that life is just one revolution after another, and as John Erskine later commented, Emerson believed that life is “a series of crises in which we take farewell of the past, and, if we are wise, meet the future.”
In chapter 29 of Jeremiah, the prophet sent a message to the Children of Israel in exile. Overall, things looked very bleak. In spite of what seemed to be an impossible situation, the future had high promise. Through the prophet, the Lord instructed the people not to be overcome by the severity of the current conditions, but to take heart in the distant promise. Jeremiah wrote (29:11):
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
In fact, the message from God went beyond hope. The families in exile were encouraged to build houses, plant gardens, raise children, and live at peace with their captors. God’s message is as relevant today for us as it was for the descendants of Judah exiled in Babylon: “Therefore do not fear, O my servant Jacob,” says the Lord. “Nor be dismayed, O Israel; for behold, I will save you from afar” (Jeremiah 30:10). |