The story is told about Winston Churchill, who was waiting on a platform outdoors to make a political speech. Crowds had packed the streets to hear him, and the chairwoman of the proceedings leaned over to him and said, "Doesn't it thrill you, Mr. Churchill, to see all those people out there who came just to see you?"
Churchill replied, "It is quite flattering, but whenever I feel this way, I always remember that if, instead of making a political speech I was being hanged, the crowd would be twice as big."
Humility is a wonderful virtue, and particularly at this time of year, for politicians. As we cast our votes, and encourage our fellow church members to cast theirs, I hope that humility is a watchword for all. I believe one reason that churches should never endorse individual candidates from the pulpit is that no person, not even Churchill, was or is immune to corruption. I am amazed at the scrutiny that our politicians have to endure. In one sense, that is good, because anyone could succumb to the kind of temptations Sen. Ted Stevens allegedly indulged. Yet in another sense, who would put themselves and their families through all that?
Let us all be humble and kind next week in victory, thankful for those who chose to run and lost, loyal and supportive of those opponents who prevailed, and prayerful that the winners will be righteous and respectful of all their constituents.
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Chris, thanks for setting up this blog.
Gail and I have been teaching English at a university in China for the past two months. While there we heard other American teachers complain about the conditions, and we realized from our point of view, conditions were poor, but from the point of view of the locals, this is the way life is.
I shared our absentee ballot for president of the United States in class and the students were very interested and excited. They asked many questions and expressed their concerns. Last evening as I watched the returns come in, I saw the election from the point of view of a Chinese student. What a thrill and what beautiful freedom, privilege and responsibility we have.
When we say "God bless America" we should include "God bless all children around the world." May we be humble in our strong to support those who are not so fortunate.
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