The spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit,
That we are the children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God,
Romans 8:16 – 17
When my daughter was four, her older brother discovered that she would do anything if prefaced with the statement, “Princesses do this . . .” Even the dental hygienist used this tactic, promising her “princess teeth” if she sat down and opened wide. The moment we got home from the dentist, she raced to the mirror where she mournfully noted, “But Mom, my teeth are still just white!” Who knows what she imagined princess teeth would look like, but after a lesson on “pearly whites” she was satisfied.
My daughter understood that even though she was apparently a normal little girl in an average household, she was really a princess because she is the daughter of a King. She announced to me with the sage of youth, “I am a princess because I am a child of God and the scriptures say so! Thank you scriptures!”
A beloved prophet said, “There has come to you as your birthright something beautiful and sacred and divine. Never forget that. Your Eternal Father is the great Master of the universe. He rules over all, but He also will listen . . . and hear you as you speak with Him.” Gordon B. Hinckley, "Stay on the High Road," Ensign, May 2004.
George Washington
(1732 - 1799)
King George III ruled the British Empire, but a man of greater nobility led the Colonial Army.
George Washington possessed many readily recognizable virtues. For example, at the Battle of Princeton, he saw his front-line crumble in fear when their commander was crushed by the British. So Washington forged ahead of all his men upon his white steed. The smoke from the firing muskets was so thick that it took a few moments for it to clear before his men could see that Washington was miraculously unharmed. He led his men to victory.
Six weeks later, the Pennsylvania Journal published this description of the Father of our country:
"In his public character he commands universal respect and admiration. Conscious that the principles on which he acts are indeed founded on virtue, he steadily and coolly pursues those principles, with a mind neither depressed by disappointments nor elated by success, giving full exercise to that discretion and wisdom which he so eminently possesses."
After the Revolutionary War, a group of men urged Washington to become King George I of America. This proposal grieved him. He honored freedom too much to even consider accepting a crown. His noble nature was so firmly rooted in his core that he didn't need an outward manifestation of it. He wore his crown in his character.
George Washington possessed many readily recognizable virtues. For example, at the Battle of Princeton, he saw his front-line crumble in fear when their commander was crushed by the British. So Washington forged ahead of all his men upon his white steed. The smoke from the firing muskets was so thick that it took a few moments for it to clear before his men could see that Washington was miraculously unharmed. He led his men to victory.
Six weeks later, the Pennsylvania Journal published this description of the Father of our country:
"In his public character he commands universal respect and admiration. Conscious that the principles on which he acts are indeed founded on virtue, he steadily and coolly pursues those principles, with a mind neither depressed by disappointments nor elated by success, giving full exercise to that discretion and wisdom which he so eminently possesses."
After the Revolutionary War, a group of men urged Washington to become King George I of America. This proposal grieved him. He honored freedom too much to even consider accepting a crown. His noble nature was so firmly rooted in his core that he didn't need an outward manifestation of it. He wore his crown in his character.
The quote is from page 228 of "The Real George Washington."
ReplyDeleteHere is another interesting quote. The authenticity is debated, some stating it is in the realm of an American legend. It is an "Indian Prophecy" recorded by Martha Washington's grandson, G.W. Custis, who claimed to be told the story by an eyewitness of the prophecy (Dr. James Craik):
“I am a chief, and the ruler over many tribes. My influence extends to the waters of the great lakes, and to the far blue mountains. I have traveled a long and weary path that I might see the young warrior of the great battle.
"It was on the day when the white man’s blood mixed with the streams of our forest that I first beheld this chief. I called to my young men and said, Mark yon tall and daring warrior? He is not of the red-coat tribe—he hath an Indian’s wisdom, and his warriors fight as we do—himself is alone exposed. Quick, let your aim be certain, and he dies. Our rifles were leveled, rifles which but for him knew not how to miss—‘twas all in vain; a power mightier far than we shielded him from harm. He cannot die in battle.
"I am old, and soon shall be gathered to the great council fire of my fathers in the land of shades; but ere I go there is something bids me speak in the voice of prophecy. Listen! The Great Spirit protects that man, and guides his destinies—he will become the chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him as the founder of a mighty empire!" (The Real George Washington, by Jay A. Parry and Andrew M. Allison, p. 49)