Jul. 21, 2008
The Strength of a Nation
This is the essay I wrote for the senior homeschool essay contest. I got third place (almost second place...one point away!). The theme was the 2008 Presidential Election, and what character strengths we thought the leader of our countryshould have.
Enjoy!
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The Strength of a Nation
By Hannah M.
A famous poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson states that a nation's strength lies in men who are willing to work hard for the sake of others and bravely stand for truth and honor. By this description, I am able to envsion men who are, or were, strong, fearless leaders. A picture forms in my mind of such men as George Washington and Paul Revere, who dared to rebel against all they had ever known for the sake of liberty. I see Abraham Lincoln, a man who was murdered because he cared about the freedom of a people. And I see the hundreds of thousands of young men who have sacrificed their lives valitantly in protection of their families, fellow countrymen and God-given liberties. Yet, in the same thought, I have to wonder if such men still exist.
With another presidential election dawning upon America's horizons, I find questions rising in my heart along with it. The candidates have surfaced and the campaigning has begun. Convincing speeches are being given and the pros and cons of each presidential prospect are being exploited. This year, more than ever it seems, I have a keen intrest in following this race to leadership. Perhaps it is because I am finally old enough to take part in the choosing of our nation's leaders by casting my own vote. However, I believe it is truly because I now have a better understanding of what is at stake.
In viewing the statistics of each candidate, I've found that none really stand fast for the values that I hold dear. The only major issues that I am seeing are pivotal points of election decisions are the economy and the war---who will bring more jobs to America and end the war in Iraq. No one, so far, has discussed the the things I am most passionate about. It would appear that no one cares about the protection of the unborn, the reforming of our nation's morals, and the preserving of our freedom to openly express our faith in God, all of which are being jeopordized daily.
What I am seeing, as each election comes and goes, are not the strong, fearless leaders of yesterday. To my dismay, I am seeing generation after genration of men and women so filled with pride and selfishness that they will do anything and say anything in order to reach the proverbial top.
I know that I shouldn't be surprised at not finding dignity, integrity, or truth in politics; but each election year, I find myself hoping and praying that someone honorable will step up to the plate and be the strong, fearless leader that this country need to help it back to its feet. However, there is Someone that America needs even more than a strong leader.
The average American (and his wife) works day in and day out in order to reach that high climax of success that he dreams of. He raises his average 1.5 kids, mows the lawn on Saturday, and goes to church on Easter and Christmas. Like every good patriot, he votes every four years, and complains about whoever got picked afterwards. He sends his kids to public school to give them "the best" education and buys them all the latest iPods for their birthdays. He strives with all his might to be a good father and husband, but on the fifty-fifty average, finds himself failing miserably. He usually ends up in a heartbreaking divorce, with his children rebelling against him and landing themselves in heaps of trouble. He doesn't know why his life falls apart, except for the fact that it is happening to everyone else around him as well. All he knows now is that there is a valley to be crossed, a summit to be reached, a paycheck to be enlarged and taxes to be paid. So he picks up the pieces, whatever ones he can find, and goes on being a good old American.
Isn't there something terrible wrong with this picture? Isn't there something more to being an American than our dear politians are telling us? The Bible says, in Psalm 127:1, that "Except the Lord build a house, they labor in vain that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." To me this sounds exactly like what is happening in this country of ours. Our leaders tell us what is important, and according to them, it's the economy and the war; namely, the economy. So we work, they get paid, and the gas prices go up! We build and build on the foundations that our polititians are laying, trusting their judgement most of the time. And all the while, only a few good men are realizing that something very crucial is desperately missing.
What America needs more than a strong leader, more than good jobs, more than more money and way more than more know-it-alls running for president is Someone that they are trying very hard to throw out. To put it quite simply, America needs God. God doesn't need America; actually He would probably be a lot happier without her. But the fact is that America needs God! Just like Rome, Tyre, and Babylon needed God, because America is on a rapid decent to following them down the same path of extinction. Remember what happened to all the citites in the Bible that turned from God? Insert "America" into any one of those passages, and you've got the inevitable future.
Psalms 46:1 states that "God is our refuge and strength...". In my most humble opinion, what a leader of this country needs is not a hefty wallet or an impressive college degree, but instead an ardent faith in God and a willingness to lead the people to Him. We don't need promises of a better economy or an end to a war. We don't need a popular face or a convincing speech. We need a revolutionary revival of the hearts and morals of our leaders and citizens.We need God! We need Him, or else we will die too soon.
America will eventually die. I hate to be a voice of doom, but it is truly a fact. America is not in the Bible past, and it is not in the Bible future. God's focus is ulitmately on Israel, but He has graciously allowed the U.S. to play the part of the boistrous, annoying rebel in His story. America will someday fade into the dust, and join the ranks of the great lost cities with Rome, Tyre, and Babylon.
I am truly sorry to my readers that this is not the stirringly patriotic essay that it was supposed to be. I tried to think of something to write that would convict the hearts of my fellow Americans. I tried to write an essay that would reflect the patriotism that I know people want to read about. America is a very patriotic country, but America is not a God-honoring country, and to me, honoring God is more important that making my neighbors cry. I apologize that I am so cynical, and that some may find this essay offensive. I am very glad to have been born an American. This is probably one of the only places in the world that I could be both grateful and cynical about my citizenship in one breath and get away with it! Seriously, however, America has freedoms and a heritage that not many other countries have. It is simply heartbreaking that the freedoms we hold so dear are being bought at the cost of our morals, and our heritage is being shamed by our lust for those freedoms. If the founders of our country could see us now, I shudder to think of what they would say.
I am planning on voting this year, but the choices just keep getting worse and worse. Politics really make it hard to be a Christian in America. However, with the desperate hope that our nation will right its wrongs and find God as its ultimate strength, I will keep praying for our leaders and in my ever nearing future, keep casting my vote to help choose them. There is something good in this country, hidden deep inside. But only with God's strength will it ever become reality.
Comments
Jul. 23, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by eElliot
Great essay! It's really nice to know there's someone who shares my view of our country and the government...there aren't many of us.
On a side note, do you know who won the essay contest?
