GOD JUDGES: WE JUST DO OUR BEST TO FOLLOW GOOD EXAMPLES

Congressman Brad Wenstrup seems like a very decent fellow.  Wenstrup is a combat surgeon who served in Iraq.  Here of late he has provided combat medical support for his fellow lawmakers.

• Congressman awarded Soldier’s Medal for heroism in last year’s baseball team shooting (armytimes.com)
• GOP Lawmakers Who Sprang into Action During Baseball Shooting Again Rush to Help After Train Crash (time.com)

Although it doesn’t necessarily pertain to the article he wrote, Wenstrup is also a decent Conservative (see Vote Smart). So I would be happy to see more like Wenstrup in Congress?

Yet that is not why I am bringing Wenstrup here. The point of the foregoing is that Wenstrup appears to be practicing what he preaches. Therefore, I think we should read what he wrote.

A Return To Statemanship.

America is in crisis: We hear about it daily on the news. We can see it play out in the lives of our friends, neighbors, family and colleagues. An opioid crisis. A health care crisis. An immigration crisis. These are very real challenges, but they only tell part of the story, these issues we see boiling on the surface of society.

You won’t hear about it from the media as much, but I believe there is an undercurrent to all of these challenges — a less visible but equally chilling crisis of values. America today has a crisis in trust, transparency and truth just as much as the more tangible issues of gun violence or Russian interference in our elections. I’ve been writing about this in a series of opinion pieces because I believe this crisis of values is at the root of many of the controversies swirling in our national headlines today. (continued here)

When we reach the end of Wenstrup’s article, we need to think about what a return to higher standards means. We need to consider the implications for the sake of those we remember on Memorial Day. People have died defending this nation and the principles upon which it was founded.

• Have we read the Declaration of Independence? Do we still understand those principles? Do we still support them?
• When we vote, do we vote our pocketbooks or for what is best for our country and our people?
• Are we willing to give of our time and treasure to come to the aid of our country.

President John F. Kennedy is famous for this quote.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. (from here)

What do his words mean to us today?

When we recite The Pledge of Allegiance, are we serious or not?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

If our country is still worth dying for, then it is because we as a people care enough to put God, family and country, ahead of political and personal gain. Otherwise, there is nothing to live for or die for.