Have You No Faith?

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Last night we watched fireworks from our perches, and we remembered what it is like to be an American. We paid tribute to those that came before us, to those that fought for freedom, and died for liberty. This nation was not born. It was forged by men willing to pledge their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

Freedom was fought for. It was not given to us.

As with our lives, nations endure storms. The times get tough, and we have a choice. Do we run over to the edge of the boat and spend the trip puking, or do we brave the storm, get our sea legs, and grab hold of the wheel so that we may steer the ship out of the storm?

This brings to mind the story about the apostles traveling across the Sea of Galilee. A storm whips up. Waves crash against the tiny boat. Winds blow so hard the masts nearly snap. The boat rocked viciously, and the men on board were sure they were going to die.

The apostles ran downstairs and approached Jesus, who was sleeping down below. "Lord," they called out, "Will you have us die in this storm?"

"Have you no faith?" replied the Christ.

After rising, Jesus walked up topside, and calmed the seas and the winds, and the boat eventually made it to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

Our lives, and our nations, are much like that boat on the waters of Galilee. He never promised us a smooth ride, but he did tell us he'd get us to the other side.

And why should we want a smooth ride? Is it not the storms of life that teach us our lessons, and helps construct our character?

My son, and I, were speaking recently. He has had a rough go at life over the past decade, and he said to me, "I have been praying and praying and God has answered none of my prayers."

I responded, "That is not true. He answered every prayer and you did not recognize it. You expected God to be like a Genie in a bottle, or like Jesus on the main deck of that boat on Galilee, and just calm the storms and let you go your way. But instead, He has provided you with storms to learn from, and rather than greet them as lessons, you felt sorry for yourself and puked over the side of the boat. A patient man becomes patient from enduring impatient situations. A humble man becomes humble after experiencing a number of events that taught him humility. A wise man does not gain his wisdom without being tested, and learning his wisdom along the way."

Speaking at events, and hosting a Constitution Study in Temecula, I often receive from the listeners the downtrodden statement that we have gone past the point of no return. Our government has taken too much from us, and the people have foolishly voted us into socialism. There is no turning back. Our ship is sinking.

Have you no faith?

If there was only one man left standing that was willing to fight for liberty, liberty would not be dead.

Independence Day celebrates the accomplishments of the Founding Fathers of this nation. They fought, and they died, so that we may have liberty. Freedom is something that must be continuously worked for. We have allowed the enemies of America to infiltrate our government, and to manipulate our way of life, and much of us are crying, "Well, nothing we can do. Government does what it does, and I am powerless to stop it."

Have you no faith?

An active America is a free America. We must vote in every election. We must volunteer for the candidates we most support. We must grab a hold of the wheel and steer the ship out of the storm, and back in the direction of liberty.

Storms end. The question is, are you willing to allow the ship to sink because you were never willing to do anything to set the ship on a course back to what was originally intended, or are you willing to be active, and be a part of taking this ship out of the storm?

I believe we can turn this around. I believe in November the Republicans will win big. But we can't be happy with that, because the GOP is just as capable of acting like idiots like the Democrats. We must be all over them, making sure they do the right things, making sure they act upon principles, not politics.

I have faith in the American People. I have faith that the storm is but a learning experience for us. I believe that we will look back at this time in history as the moment America nearly fell, and Patriotic Americans saved it from the brink of disaster.

God Bless America. The shore is in sight. I have faith we will reach it.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary