Thoughts on Truth and Character 9-11-12

Thoughts on Truth and Character 

9-11-12

It is not the things that are seen that are important. 

It is the things that are unseen. 

The unseen is what lives on.

It is the depth of character of a person that is imparted to the things that are seen that give them beauty and meaning. 

America is beautiful because it was built by people of character who lived principled lives based in unchanging truth.

The ugliest house can be the most beautiful home because of the people who live there ; 

But the most beautiful house can be the ugliest of homes for the same reason. 

Homes last forever - houses can be destroyed.

America will only be as great and beautiful and lasting as the people who live there. 

America as a house is not worth defending.

America as a home is not worth giving up. 

America will be the Land of the Free only as long it is viewed by its inhabitants as the HOME of the brave. 

Bravery is founded in truth and acts, even in the face of fear.  

For many today, bravery is a word and concept.

For some, it has been called upon in defense of ill influences on their home.

For a few, we can only hope and pray it was not in vain. 

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Today, there are many who live because people of character acted. Instantly. The truth they lived by was deeply embedded within their souls, so action in the face of fear was carried out. 

Today, we see a memorial that is only beautiful because of the character it represents. The elevation and memorializing of truth, as seen in these acts of bravery and self sacrifice, is meant to spur us on to continue to stand for those truths. But if we take away truth, what is left? Without truth, without a standard, without a plumbline - there is nothing to attain, nothing to defend, nothing to live for. 

Truth is unchanging - otherwise it is not truth. 

We hold these truths (fidelity to an original or to a standard) to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator (not a man) with certain unalienable Rights (not to be separated, given away, or taken away) that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

It is because of these truths, that we are America. It is because of these truths, that we have built people of character in this land. 

Today we salute those who loved truth so much that they deemed it worth their lives. 

What happened to the signers of the Declaration?

I heard a sermon in church yesterday that reiterated the truth that true freedom is found in Jesus Christ alone. Dependence on God and obedience to His word along with self government allows a people to experience the greatest amount of freedom. Freedom is not doing what we want. Freedom is living responsibly with the bounds of God-given laws, which our nation was founded upon. 

So what happened to those who wanted this kind of freedom? There are variations in writings on the subject, but here are a few I found especially interesting and sobering. 

What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants. Nine were farmers and large plantation owners. All were men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty could be death if they were captured.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, (Really? That would instantly restore integrity to our government!) and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. His home on Long Island was destroyed by British calvary in the fall of 1776. Mrs. Lewis was captured by the British but was eventually released in exchange for a British officer's wife. Mrs. Lewis died two years after her release. Altoghether, eleven signers had their homes and property destroyed.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died of exhaustion and a broken heart. Morris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

Perhaps one of the most inspiring examples of "undaunted resolution" was at the Battle of Yorktown. Thomas Nelson, Jr. was returning from Philadelphia to become Governor of Virginia and joined General Washington just outside of Yorktown. He then noted that British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters, but that the patriot's were directing their artillery fire all over the town except for the vicinity of his own beautiful home. Nelson asked why they were not firing in that direction, and the soldiers replied, "Out of respect to you, Sir." Nelson quietly urged General Washington to open fire, and stepping forward to the nearest cannon, aimed at his own house and fired. The other guns joined in, and the Nelson home was destroyed. Nelson died bankrupt.Nelson's house is still standing at Yorktown and there are cannonballs embedded in its east wall.

New Jersey's Richard Stockton, after rescuing his wife and children from advancing British troops, was betrayed by a loyalist, imprisoned, beaten and nearly starved. He returned an invalid to find his home gutted, and his library and papers burned. He, too, never recovered, dying in 1781 a broken man.

Among the first to sign had been John Hancock, who wrote in big, bold script so George III "could read my name without spectacles and could now double his reward for 500 pounds for my head." If the cause of the revolution commands it, roared Hancock, "Burn Boston and make John Hancock a beggar!"

And there are others. 

Take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July Holiday and thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the  price they paid. 

Remember Freedom is never free!

May God help us to live our lives worthy of what so many have given their lives for....the privilege of governing ourselves within principles of truth so we wouldn't have to be governed by oppressive rulers. 

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