The best of your life for the rest of your life

"By faith Abraham obeyed"

Hebrews 11:8

I'm reading a book about Abraham Lincoln.  But if you know me, that probably won't surprise you.  I own a whole lotta books about Lincoln.  The 1860s were the focus of my major in college, so there was a lot of reading about Lincoln.  Especially for that class I took on Lincoln.

Last November Steven Spielberg's movie "Lincoln" hit the theaters, and I don't know that I ever anticipated a movie more.  But at the same time I was anxious that Spielberg wouldn't get it "right", you know?  I know a lot about Lincoln, and the people in his life.  And you never know how a director is going to slant a movie.

For those of you who haven't seen it, I'm happy to say it was very well done.  Every actor portrayed his or her character beautifully, bringing to life the people I have studied in such depth.

It was largely based on Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals, which I own but haven't gotten around to reading.  Frankly, I just have too many things I have to read during the school year, both to teach my kids, and for Bible study.  So I don't do a lot of "pleasure" reading.  Then when summer comes I try to cram in as much as I can.  Course, my stack of "pleasure" reading books includes things like The Federalist Papers, Thoreau's Life in the Woods and The Geometry of Washington, DC.  So they aren't really things I can crank through in a hurry...

It's hard ~ or maybe impossible ~ to read any book on Lincoln and not be thinking about his assassination.  It's just this thing that's hovering in the background while you're reading about conversations with his wife, or interactions with political rivals.

You also can't get very far in any study of Lincoln without knowing that he knew he was going to die.  Well, die soon, I guess I should say.  Not only did he have dreams about his own death, but common sense and past events told him that there were people who wanted him dead.

So, most likely he would have lived longer if he had not been President, or if he had only served one term.  But even knowing that, he carried on with his job.  He did what he did, to the death.

But why?  Probably something simple like, "he believed it was the right thing to do".  Which, of course, John Wilkes Booth also believed, and his belief killed him just as dead.

But being President was Lincoln's job.  And more than that, he was good at it.  I wondered recently if he knew he was good at it.  So many men in that position think they're good at it, but not all of them have been.  At any rate, no matter what he thought of the job he was doing, he kept on doing it, as long as he could.

I wonder how many people are willing to do what they do, to the death?  Soldiers.  Missionaries in dangerous places.   The disciples.  Jesus.

Is there anything that you're willing to do, even if it kills you?  It's an interesting question.  And of course, even if you say "yes" it doesn't mean that it will.  But taking a long look at yourself might show you where your priorities are.  Or if you have any. 

I guess it's about prioritizing.  Testing all things in your life, and holding on to the good.   And it's about courage.  And perseverance.  And above all, obedience.

~ "Peter and the other apostles answered and said:

'We ought to obey God

rather than men.' " ~

Acts 5:29

~