“Happy President’s Day!” said no one ever.
Up until this year, President’s Day has meant nothing more to me than a long weekend and killer sales.
But this year is different. This year I’m reminded how desperately leaders on both sides of the aisle need our prayers. The truth is, they have always needed them.
Frankly, it’s easier to offer our commentaries or our criticism. But what a leader really needs is the prayers of the people he or she has the responsibility to lead.
President Lyndon Johnson said, “A president’s hardest task is not to do what is right, but to know what is right.”
Wow! That’s good stuff.
When asked about his position on the civil war, Abraham Lincoln responded, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
Really good stuff.
God telsl us, “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-3).
This President’s Day I’m taking what God tells me to do to heart; I’m praying for our country and for its leaders.
[bctt tweet=”What we say about our leaders is less important than what we pray for our leaders.” username=”donnajonesspeak”]On this President’s Day as you take time off, will you also take time to pray for our country?
And just for fun….here are a few of my favorite Presidential Quotes. This could spark some great dinnertime conversation! I’d love to know your favorite. Read to the end to see mine.
- Never spend your money before you have earned it. –Thomas Jefferson
- No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar. –Abraham Lincoln
- You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today. –Abraham Lincoln
- America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. –Abraham Lincoln
- Recession is when a neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours.– Ronald Reagan
- We are never defeated unless we give up on God. –Ronald Reagan
- It is far better to be alone, than to be in bad company. –George Washington
- If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter. –George Washington
- My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. –John F. Kennedy
- To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society. –Theodore Roosevelt
- Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all.– John F. Kennedy
- All great change in America begins at the dinner table.– Ronald Reagan
- If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen. –Ronald Reagan
- He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help. –Abraham Lincoln
- The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next. –Abraham Lincoln
- If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. — John Quincy Adams
- If you treat people right they will treat you right…ninety percent of the time. — Franklin D. Roosevelt
- It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. — Harry S. Truman
- Believe you can and you’re halfway there. — Theodore Roosevelt
And just because this one made me laugh, here’s my favorite…
20. Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.’ And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying. –Ronald Reagan
