“Do
nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one
another as more important than yourselves.”
The
President listened to the reading with interest, surrounded by Secret Service
agents in the balcony of First Presbyterian Church. The presidency, he mused,
more than almost any other job, called for personal sacrifice and putting
others first. The job itself was brutal, leaving its mark on the prematurely
aged faces of all who held it, and this campaign season was particularly
trying. No one would subject himself and his family to such an ordeal without a
sense of higher calling.
The
reader sat down and the pastor got up to speak. “Nothing is easier to say and
harder to carry out than these words of the apostle Paul. On this day, as we
welcome the President of the United States to our church and our city, let us
try to understand what it means for us in a world inconceivably more complex
than the one in which they were written.”
I
wonder if even he knows how true that is, thought the President. Early in his
career, situations arose that
seemed to pit his duties as a politician against his faith. He had known some
who could not reconcile the two and had walked away from either the one or the
other. Finding a way to be an effective public servant while staying true to
his faith had been his first real accomplishment and had enabled him, he
believed, to rise to the highest office.
“Some
have interpreted ‘turn the other cheek’ to mean war is never an option—better
to be crushed by your enemy than to prevail at the cost of your soul. I do not
hold that view, but it contains an element of truth.”
Indeed,
thought the President. War was truly a last resort. God knows I made many
personal calls to the Premier, but the man was stubborn as an ox and twice as
thick. Only when it became clear that our interests would never be achieved any
other way did I authorize the secret assassination that provoked their attack
on our embassy. It’s an unfortunate way to drive events in the needed
direction, but unprovoked aggression would never have won international
support.
“In
this campaign season, let us always remember to honor each other, even those
with whom we disagree, knowing in humility that no one has all the answers. If
you are a Republican, think to yourself, ‘how can I love a Democrat today, and
regard him or her as more important than myself.’ Likewise, if you are a
Democrat, seek out a Republican to honor today. Did the good Samaritan inquire
after the political leanings of the man assaulted on the road? Did Jesus offer
himself up only for the Jews, or for all people?”
This
pastor is very good, though the President. He gets it. A president is a servant
of all, not just a representative of his party. That is one thing my opponent
will never understand. Fortunately tomorrow’s press leak will fatally damage
his campaign. Who knew he’d be so vulnerable to such a simple trap? That in itself
argues against his fitness to lead the nation. It just took one prostitute.
“And
finally, Lord, we ask for the strength to do what’s right, no matter the
personal cost to us. Amen.”
The
President rose to leave. Amen, he thought. Amen.
