Live up to the light

“I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to

succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have.”

                               Abraham Lincoln

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We live in a world of flawed formulas

Work hard and you will succeed

If you live a good life you will be blessed

Those formulas were, at the very least,

Somewhat well intentioned

But we are now bombarded by values and beliefs that are not merely wrong

None of them are new

But they are newly embraced

And they are destructive

The end justifies the means

God loves and blesses us, but not them

People who are not like us have less value

Might makes right

If you have the power, you should be free to use it (without worrying about how it impacts others)

It is more important to be strong, than just, or compassionate

Its ok to scramble and fight to get what I want, even if it means others get left behind

We live in a world

More specifically in a nation

That is no longer “true”

And no longer living up the “what light” it has

We must respond

And grab hold of the truth

That we are in a win – lose culture

That is really a lose – lose culture

This must change.  To quote the words of Joseph Kennedy, as he spoke recently to spiritual leaders

“This moment demands more of us than we might feel capable of giving; more than we have traditionally done; more than we have ever expected.

But those of you in this room tonight — with your reservoirs of faith, of wisdom, of gentleness and justice and generosity – with the trust you have righteously earned from the people you serve — you are the ones to meet this moment.

Help us tell America an alternative story. Help us show our fractured, fearful country a different way.

Not a Democratic agenda or a Republican agenda – but a decent one.

“From the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

Where you lead with strength and surety, a grateful nation will follow.”

We must lead

We must challenge the way that leads to lose – lose

We must live up to what light we have