President's Day, Law and Faith

For I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them: and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them. And beyond a certain lawyer stood up, and tempting him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength and with all thy mind: and thy neighbor as thyself."

Luke 10:24-27

Today we celebrate President's Day in the United States. When we reflect, we've had both effective and ineffective leaders. Let's consider what makes a leader truly great.

The best leaders are not driven by power, money or greed. They consider the rights and privileges of each individual citizen based on God's law. Quite simple, they use their hearts and souls to encourage us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

What makes a poor leader? Often they lose sight of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. They are typically driven by power, greed and other negative emotions. Do we tend to do this in our own lives without meaning to?

The rat race is getting worse as wars rage on, finances get tighter and people work harder. We can lose sight of the big picture in our scurry to keep our heads above water.

We are all the leaders of our own individual lives and families. Effective leadership starts with each of us. We all have the ability to take control of our lives and the immediate world around us. When we show love, compassion and understanding for our neighbor, we know our lives improve.

As we dedicate ourselves to living life according to God's word, the disbelievers and naysayers will become more obvious. When we become united through the words of Jesus, good things happen. Power-stricken leaders are exposed for who and what they are when we all simply live the truth.

Time, patience and the true Word of God are our allies. As we deal with our daily stresses and shake our heads in wonder at world leaders, we need to get past the negativity. Positive energy and actions take over when we live the Word because we more clearly see those leaders who are doing the same.