The miracle of the United States intro

Being an historian, I have had an opportunity to enjoy the many stories of the remarkable adventure that became the United States.

Tracing our history back to the Pilgrims and their improbability for success, I marveled at what is obviously something God was directly involved in. When you consider the various turns of events in our history, I am more and more convinced we were (as a nation) of Intelligent Design, and having been in medical sales for over a decade, having been exposed to the miracle of the human body, that we (as humans) are of Intelligent Design as well. 

Through subsequent entries of this blog, I will offer some of the more illustrative examples in which we not only succeeded against overwhelming odds, but flourished in less than 200 years.

Previously, the only people capable of such feats were conquering armies like the Romans, Greeks, Mongols, French, and many others throughout history. Powerful army-nations who conquered less powerful people and vanquished them to servitude and exploited the spoils of war.

While some would argue we did the same (especially with regards to the native Americans), the main difference here is we did not venture north to Canada nor to the south into central or south America which would be an appropriate example when compared to the aforementioned conquerors.

Furthermore, much of this great nation was taken from other nations in conflict, eg., Mexico, or outright purchased from others like France and Russia. No matter how you look at it, for a country to rise from the ground with literally nothing going for it but the desire to be free, and no guarantees except a very real possibility of dying, our founders braved difficulties, dangers, risks and fears you and I cannot begin to appreciate.

Consider the Pilgrims. Who were they? Were they the wealthy, aristocracy of Europe? Were they people of influence and means? No. They were very nearly the bottom of the barrel of society- perhaps one step above a prisoner or a slave.

They were not successful in part because they were religious outcasts, otherwise, they would not have had a need to leave and expose themselves to such risks and unknown variables. Yet, for all their shortcomings, these people established colonies in the wilderness of the eastern U.S., and set the groundwork for something truly remarkable- a nation unlike any the world had or ever will see; a nation of free men, and one that emerged as a superpower, and a powerful economical force as well.

That is not to say we have not made mistakes- we have. Many of which we continue to make (ostensibly for the greater good) today; Allowing judges to legislate from the bench, allowing the vocal minority to undermine the fabric of our nation by removing God from our schools and teaching revisionist history, allowing our taxes to be spent wantonly with little or no accountability, backing illicit governments, and unfortunately, repeating some of the same mistakes over and over.

Nevertheless, we tend to come out on top for a variety of reasons. The media call it ingenuity, military or economic might, what have you. Make no mistake about it- when adding them all together, it can be nothing short of Divine Intervention.

Are you wrestling with your faith?

My oldest son Michael is about to wrap up his short wrestling career. He started just 4 years ago and progressed significantly under the direction of a remarkably talented coach at the high school.

During one of his last matches, it occurred to me there is a strong parallel between what we were watching in athletic competition and what we as bleievers go through every day. I watched as one of our kids was really man-handling another wrestler, and by the look on his face, the other boy had no idea what to do to escape.

Truth be told, there was nothing he could have done. Our wrestler was far-too talented and skilled to be beaten unless he made a mistake. It was almost poetry in motion. Every move his opponent made he was already prepared to counter and then attack with a move of his own. It was so unfair I genuinely felt bad for the other boy. It seemed like no matter what he tried, no matter how hard he fought, he was stymied at every turn. There was no one there to help, only a passive judge (the referee) who kept tally of the contest.

I marvelled at the similarity of this competition I was witnessing and wondered if others saw the same symbolism as me. My guess is probably not.

But the good news is that is pretty much where the similarities end! If you are a Christian, you KNOW the Lord is with you (although sometimes we do forget that), and through Him, all things are possible. Have you ever been though? Feeling pinned down, physically exhausted and emotionally drained as you are attacked from seemingly every angle of your life? Why is it seems things go badly all at once? What do you do about it? Do you internalize and bottle everything up, let everyone else know about your difficulty, or pray?

I hope the answer is you pray. Praise Him for all the blessings you have, and for the strenght to weather this storm in His name. Pray to learn what He would have you to learn from this lesson, and to be able to reach out to others and lift them up as well.

This is not easy- when you feel like your boat is being tossed about on the sea and you are about to go under, one of the last things most people think of is reaching out into the cold dark sea to lift another one out of the water when it is all you can do to stay afloat. But that is exactly what God would have you to do!

It is easy to be cheerful and upbeat when everything is going great and your way. Who can't do that? But the real test of character is when things are tough, you are unsure yourself, and you think "I am the only one going through this". You may be the ONLY one going throught EXACTLY your circumstances, but truth is, you will be amazed at how many others who seemingly have it all together are in deeper water than you. All you have to do is ask

Years ago, when my professional career was spiraling out of control, I admired my next door neighbor. Dave was on his game- medical sales, working the phone, setting appointments, closing business and making a great living. I languished in several short-term jobs while he maintained a strong professional life. I was envious because I had been there not long before, and had it all taken away for some reason. I had let it embitter me, and felt how unfair it was to my family.

Then one day Dave shows up on my door step. He had been crying for some time. We sat down in my office and he told me his wife wanted a divorce. Their little boy was about 3 at the time and he was Dave's pride and joy, yet something had terribly gone wrong. His wife was very controlling, and finally things came to a head. I felt so ashamed of the envy I had felt, especially when he shared with me he had envied ME with the close relationship my wife and I enjoyed. I was sick to my stomach. I had lost sight of what was really important, and more to the point, during my distress, I had withdrawn and not been there for a friend of mine until it was too late.

I still struggle with having to carry the burden I have now and volunteering to take on others with my friends, but I force myself to. I am trying to do the same with this blog in the hopes it helps just one person with an "aha" moment.

We must remember when we are wrestling with our challenges, all we need to do is keep our eyes, heart, ears and faith upon Him, and we will become the champions, while witnessing to those around us. So many times I hear someone who was tested in a very difficult situation how they made it through the ordeal and they often say they knew God was with them all the way. It doesn't matter how much bigger your "opponent" is or how much more "skill" they have, for the Lord is your might,

Isn't it comforting knowing no matter what, He still loves you and WILL be there for you? All you have to do is ask.

Be blessed.