A house divided against itself, cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South. — Abraham Lincoln
The past few days have left me feeling quite discouraged. We are a nation that is divided against itself. It feels like the divide is getting wider by the day. My heart longs for a change in how we communicate with one another as fellow citizens and as human beings. We need leadership that will bring us together and unite us once again. We are divided by ideologies and political parties. We are divided by racial tensions and mistrust. We are divided by our socioeconomic status. We are divided by our religious beliefs. We are divided by our gender. We are divided! How will we stand?
The answer is to begin a new conversation with one another. We must turn toward those whom we do not agree with and begin to listen. We all want to be heard and understood. I believe that the majority of people want to do justice and live in a world of kindness and compassion. So we must raise up leaders that will lead us toward these goals.
When Abraham Lincoln gave this speech in 1858 it was in hopes of becoming a US senator. He lost the race. However, he held onto his belief in uniting the country against slavery and continued the struggle to achieve that ultimate goal. A few years later, he got the chance to put his leadership into practice as the President of the United States. It took a bloody war that claimed 620,000 American lives before we could find our way to peace and unity again. Ultimately Lincoln paid the price for unity with his life. A wealthy, angry, confederate actor and a few of his friends plotted an assassination. You know how that turned out.
Lincoln's concept of a house divided was not original. He was quoting a very famous man named Jesus. As the story goes, Jesus was going around town healing people and showing kindness and compassion to those in need. This activity instilled fear in the rich and powerful leaders of his day. They accused Jesus of doing the devil's work. The bible tells us that Jesus knew their thoughts and replied with these famous words:
“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” Matthew 12:25
Jesus had a vision for peace and unity on earth. This is the message that he preached and lived. He was what some people would call a "do gooder." He walked the earth doing good, seeking justice, and caring for those in need. Doing the right thing can be very costly. The rich and powerful men of Jesus day got together and plotted an assassination. You know how that turned out.
Hope is what keeps us moving forward. Hope comes from resurrection. After the Civil War, the country was resurrected from the ashes. We came to see that we needed to find a way forward out of the chains of slavery. While we have made great strides in that direction, we still have a long way to go. Just look at all the unrest that we find ourselves in today. We must work together to bring justice and unity and peace to our nation. Lincoln's vision and leadership was to bring hope and unity to America. Jesus' vision and leadership was to bring hope and unity to the world. Out of the ashes of the crucification came the hope of resurrection! Hope is about new beginnings. Both of these men gave up their lives to see their vision fulfilled. Let us move forward together in this time of social unrest for the hope of our country and ultimately for the hope of the world!
