September 07, 2005
Humble to be American II
In the light of the 4th anniversary of September 11th and in the shadow of Hurricane Katrina I see both hope and destruction waging a war for the hearts of the American people. This country is such a beacon of light for liberty, freedom and prosperity in such a dark world. Just like September 11th, Hurricane Katrina will yield us many stories of heroism right next to the ugliness of destruction.
This juxtaposition wells my heart up with pride and humility. Our country needs to be a bold guiding light in the world yet this must be tempered with a meekness of spirit. These events always remind us that we are not indestructible and that if we are cut, we will bleed.
The dedicatory inscription on the Colossus of Rhodes reads, “To you, O Sun, the people of Dorian Rhodes set up this bronze statue reaching to Olympus when they had pacified the waves of war and crowned their city with the spoils taken from the enemy. Not only over the seas but also on land did they kindle the lovely torch of freedom.” The Rhodians built this Colossus to celebrate a time of peace, freedom and unity. Yet it was a celebration and symbol of power as it was in the image of their sun god. Like all idols do, this symbol eventually fell to ruins and was sold off in pieces.
We now have a great symbol of freedom in the New Colossus, our Statue of Liberty. Emma Lazarus wrote a poem to help raise money and support to build our mighty torch of freedom, “The New Colossus”. Her poem was enshrined in bronze as well and put upon her namesake.
THE NEW COLOSSUS (1883)
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
These words breathe new meaning into our homes now. The tired, poor and tempest-tost are our very own citizens. We cannot turn off the news after witnessing the need here and move on as though it were some problem in a distant country. These are our fellow citizens that cry out for our help.
And just as we must temper pride with humility and boldness with meekness, we need also to temper our emotions with reason. As proud citizens of this country we find it hard to believe that we could be crippled in such a way, so we look to assign blame and accountability for allowing these things to happen. While a humble response would seek to pour out our compassion on those lives that have been changed forever due to this event, and understand that no matter how mighty the giant, her strength is still no match for the Lord.
Human history can build a bronze giant on the shores of Greece; we can place the “Mother of Exiles” in the New York Harbor. However, we do not control the “mighty forces of nature (Nehemiah 9:6)”, and all earthly nations will come to end as God’s kingdom endures forever (Daniel 2:44).
Posted by price at September 7, 2005 03:37 PM | TrackBackWhat a thoughful and though-provoking post.
And I think it could easily be extended to apply all the time, and to all the suffering in the world every day, not only in the aftermath of a hurricane.
"And just as we must temper pride with humility and boldness with meekness, we need also to temper our emotions with reason."
I agree with this...I would only add that I think emotions are valid (though we are certainly responsible as adults for how we act upon them), and that reason includes a very real assessment of what needless suffering is ocurring, as a result some poor decision made by those responsible for minimizing the impact of the storm.
Having said that, I couldn't agree more that meek humility is what allows us to offer healing to those in need, and that there is a degree to which finger-pointing is, well, pointless.
Thanks for the wise words.