WHY NATIONS SHOULD HONOR THEIR FATHERS

Many principles which hold for individuals also hold for large groups of men. One very important principle is that of honoring parents.

Just as people have parents, so often do entire nations also have parents. The father of a nation may be an individual who plays a central or crucial role in the foundation or formation of that nation. There may also be a group of fathers. Such individuals deserve to be honored by their nation.

History shows that nations which remember their fathers and honor them, often become great, and make a significant impact in the earth.

FACTS ABOUT FATHERS OF NATIONS

(Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the lord thy God giveth thee. Exodus 20:12)

When a nation cherishes the memory of its founding father(s), and upholds the vision he stood for, the result is that the nation is enabled to endure for many generations.

On the contrary, when the founding father of a nation is despised, and his memory forsaken, the nation may cease to exist within a short time. This is a spiritual principle.

A dramatic illustration of this is found in the history of the first and second German empires. The first empire was founded by the great Frankish king Charlemagne (Karl der grosse). Known as the Holy Roman Empire, it retained the vision and outlook of its founder, and continued to cherish and treasure his memory. As a result of this, despite initial difficulties, it was enabled to endure for more than a thousand years.

The second German empire was founded through the efforts of the great statesman Otto von Bismarck. Unfortunately however, he was deposed by the third emperor WilhelmII. He was sidelined, his vision was cast aside,his ideals were ignored, and his counsel was despised. As a result of this, the empire crashed and ceased to exist within twenty years of the death of Bismarck. (He accurately predicted the time of the crash before he died).

2 THAT THE NATION MAY RETAIN VISION AND THE SENSE OF A MISSION, AND ENJOY VISIONARY LEADERSHIP

(The Eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. Proverbs 30:17)

A nation which cherishes and treasures the memory of its founding father(s), will retain vision, and the sense of a mission. As long as the memory and ideals of the founding father are treasured, there will be no great lack of visionary leaders and leadership.

The converse also holds. If a nation chooses to ignore and neglect the memory and name of its founding father(s), that nation will be plagued with visionless and purposeless leaders and leadership. It will drift about without achieving lasting greatness; it will fall into many pits.

Nations which cherish their founding father(s) will often discover that the spirits of their founding fathers will brood over them. In times of distress, outstanding visionary leaders imbued with the spirits of their founding fathers, will arise to provide excellent leadership. This is a spiritual fact.

The United States cherishes the memories and ideals of its founding fathers. As a result, during the time of its greatest civil crisis, an outstanding leader arose in Abraham Lincoln, who possessed the very same spirit and wisdom of the founding fathers of that nation.

The kingdom of Great Britain treasures the memories of its great line of kings. As a result, during its greatest crisis under Nazi aggression, a remarkable leader arose in Sir Winston Churchill, who bore precisely the same noble, heroic and magnanimous spirit as one of its greatest kings : Alfred the Great.

3 THAT THE NATION MAY RETAIN RELEVANCE

(Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness. Proverbs 20:20)

Some nations are called to be great lights upon the earth. Through the propagation of a specific vision or mandate, they are to be a beacon to the rest of mankind.

However, sometimes, if a nation chooses to put aside the memory and vision of its founding father(s), this can amount to a slight which will result in a loss of relevance as the light of the nation is put out.

4 THAT THE NATION MAY AVERT RETROGRESSION

(…And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.)

When a nation turns away from the memory, legacy, and ideals of its father(s), this can often attract curses, which will manifest as retrogression, and various disasters, calamities and setbacks.

Conversely, a nation which habitually retains the memory, legacy and ideals of its father will enjoy blessings manifesting as progress and achievement.

WHAT HAVE WE DONE WITH OUR FATHER?

It is a slight to the memory of the great Yoruba man Samuel ajayi Crowther, that it is possible to pass through our educational system and remain completely oblivious of his contribution to the foundation of Nigeria.

This is akin to the neglect of the memory of Benjamin Franklin by the United States, or of Mahatma Gandhi by India, or of Nelson Mandela by South Africa.

These and other nations honor their fathers, cherish their memories, and uphold their ideals.

I call upon our people to earnestly consider the righting of this great wrong to the memory of the great Yoruba man Samuel ajayi Crowther, who indeed is the father of the Nigerian nation.

Let us turn our hearts once again to his memory, remember his legacy, and strive to uphold the vision and mandate which he pursued throughout his life.

By this, we will position ourselves properly to attract the blessings of God, and to become the great light to the nations, which we have been called to be.

Related posts:

When I joined the Highrise team in May of 2016, the support team wasn’t a team at all: it was a single person. Chris did everything, from answering emails, to maintaining our help site, to recording…

You will get to dive into an amazing Optical Character Recognition API. One that is perfect for Saas Companies! Right now the world works in a digital way. Companies have started to transition to…

Televisions have become an essential part of our lives. They are a source of entertainment, education, and information. However, when a TV breaks down, it can be frustrating and stressful, especially…