Why A Unique People And Place?

I pondered on some unique things I wanted to accomplish this morning and as I was reading in my scriptures in Zechariah where the Lord says that he will restore Jerusalem and that it will abound. That got me thinking about the miracle of the establishment of the United States of America.

You might be wondering how I connected the two places, but for me, America is a blessed land, and for a reason. I believe that God led people to America who had ideas that were not acceptable in Europe. Here they created new ways of governing and living that did not exist in Europe. New thoughts came to fruition, and America became a new country based on freedoms that were not available in Europe. They weren’t perfect, but they created something new.

Those new ideas spread and reshaped the world. Freedom spread to much of the world. In many places today, ruling elitists still scoff at those freedoms . That is not unusual. Some places tried to adopt the new ideas, but steeped in past patterns, they could not hold the new freedoms.

What Is Personal Accountability?

One of the key factors in this unique experiment was personal freedom, and accountability. Free to choose for ourselves, we can create things that used to only be dreamed about. At the same time, with that freedom came a seldom before seen accountability to oneself. If you couldn’t make a go of it, there was no one to take over for you. You suffered, and sometimes died.

When you had success, it was yours to do with what you would. That brought explosive growth. It also created excesses. People used their choices for good and bad.

Who Were The Prepared?

Many people who came to the Americas were disaffected with the culture and limiting nature of the English society. As I have noted before, Francis Fincher, the first Fincher in America was a Quaker who had suffered greatly in England because of his beliefs. He wanted something better for his family in America despite his advanced age.

Others like John Rolfe were looking for business success in ways that were seldom available in England.Then there were those like Johannes Polhemus who having fled Europe to the coastal islands of Brazil were displaced by the Portuguese. Not only did he have to leave the Isle of Itamarca, he fell into the hands of pirates twice on his journey to New Amsterdam. Not only did he persevere, but his wife, who assumed him dead after his first capture, continued on to New Amsterdam and established herself and her children only to have him reunite with them after being rescued.

How Prepared Are You?

Are you preparing to accomplish the marvelous things that God asks you to do? What are you needing to change in your life? Are there successes you can accomplish now to prepare to do what you will accomplish for others in the future? What is tugging at your heart for you to do? Consider what you can do to impact the world around you. Do you ask Why Me?