“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” -John Adams
My father believes that you can determine a person’s intelligence by how far into the future they plan. If all they work for is a party weekend, that tells you something about them. But if the person has a 1-year, 5-year, or 10-year plan, that also reflects something about their intelligence and their character.
I would take what my father said a step further and link morality with forward-thinking as well. A person who has a clear sense of right and wrong tends to think further into the future. They long to leave a legacy, to make the world a better place, and to share the blessings they enjoy. They think about the type of nation their children and grandchildren will experience. They also tend to care more about ideals and working toward them. This could be the reason John Adams said the U.S. Constitution was made for a moral and religious people.
Our Founding Fathers knew that “government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master” (George Washington). The Founders put into place clear checks and balances to control government and to foster individual responsibility among its citizens.
Shortsighted individuals will use governmental force to satisfy their own immediate needs and wants. Forward-thinking individuals realize that when we abdicate personal responsibility to the government, we enslave future generations. Thus the need for a moral and religious people – people who will not use government to take from one group of people and give it to others.
In my opinion, there is only one way to reclaim our country and that is to instill moral and religious values into the current and future generations. And the best way I know to impact generations is through women. It is said that a good woman impacts four generations. Think about that! That’s her children, her grandchildren, her great grandchildren and her great great grandchildren. As William Russ Wallace wrote, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”
I have found this to be true. Today, I and thousands of others are still being influenced by my fifth great grandmother, Dicey Langston (a 14-year-old girl who saved an entire village during the Revolutionary War). Women who are clear about who they are and what they stand for, who lean upon the Lord and reflect His light, impact the world in powerful ways. Their influence radiates, ripples and cascades through time.
Imagine if we were to bring together thousands of these women so they could learn from, support and encourage one another. Then they would no longer be a single prism standing alone reflecting God’s love and light to the world. They would be part of a glorious chandelier of prisms, tied together in a way that could not be ignored.
Women coming together to light the world could be part of what Isaiah saw in his vision of the last days:
Isaiah 60:1-4,8
“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?”
In an ever-darkening world, women are God’s secret weapon. As we wake up and get clear about who we are and our relationship to Him, His light shines through us. Then as we encourage and support one another, we “arise and shine. Our light is come, for the glory of the Lord rises upon us.”
As we light up the world, leaders of nations will take notice, and good people everywhere will flock to the Light like doves to the windows.
If you would like to join with other like-minded Christian women across denominational lines to make a difference, we want to hear from you! Join us in April 2010 for the Light the World: Birthing Your Destiny Retreat.