Are you serious?

“It should be your care, therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our children and exalt their courage; to accelerate and animate their industry and activity; to excite in them an habitual contempt of meanness, abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue.” —John Adams

Are you serious, Mr. Adams?
Elevate and exalt?
Accelerate and animate?
Excite to excel?
In this day and age? You can't be serious.

Recently, we've listened to a biography of John and Abigail Adams. John Adams (our second president) was a deep thinker; Abigail a visionary. She was truly the "wind beneath his wings." They were apart much of the time because it took days to travel by coach from their home to Philadelphia, the capital city. Abigail stayed home, ran the farm, and raised the children. Mr. Adams' salary was so meager, he couldn't afford a house while Congress was in session. Enough history, already!

What I was intrigued with was the challenge of Adam's powerful statement. You and I should care enough for the children in our worlds to elevate their minds and exalt their courage. We ought to make it our purpose to accelerate and animate the industry and activity of today's youth, creating in them the wonder and joy of life and the satisfaction that comes with doing an honest day's work.

It takes special effort to excite today's children about much of anything, to say nothing of passing on the desire to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue. And on top of that to help them have a "contempt for meanness and an abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity..." Tall order, right? Wow!!

Thank you, Mr. Adams, for stating the vision of grace in ACTION usa so beautifully. This is exactly what we want God to do through GiA.

Will you pray? Will you teach? Will you challenge today's children who have no one to care enough to excite them to excel?