Riches to Rags...to Restoration, Part 1

posted by Fred Garcia filed under Heroes, History, Personal Growth, Purpose, Rekindling the Spirit of Revolution, Searching for Common Ground

The fate of a free nation rests upon the response of her people in facing the winds of adversity.

In every generation troubles come, evil arises, and the very heart of liberty is challenged. It has always been so and even now represents the very heart of the matter in which we find ourselves as a nation once again. How the people of this nation respond to the hardships and difficulties of this present time will inevitably tell the tale of this nation. We shall either thrive and push forward into a great and glorious future, or perish to the thunderous applause of dictatorship. Freedom hangs in the balance. We face adversity on many fronts ranging from power hungry politicians, racial divide and class warfare, to the blatant attempt at devastating and destroying the traditional family unit in the name of “political correctness” to name but a few. And while adversity has many faces in this hour there is a single response which holds a common, extraordinary, and foundational thread of truth which most Americans have overlooked. For that matter it is fair to say that we have allowed ourselves to be bullied, shamed, and even manipulated into overlooking this long established and time honored truth. But rather than simply revealing it I believe that it first needs to be demonstrated, experienced, and remembered in the context of an age old tale which took place some 3,000 years ago.

It’s the story of a man who was no stranger to adversity.

At the time he, his wife, and their ten children were collectively known to be the wealthiest family in the land. Come and experience for yourself the events that unfold for this man…all in the span of a single day.

The day started out just like any other. It was a beautiful morning and the promise of the day’s events were gloriously inviting. He had just sat down to rest for a bit before finishing the morning’s chores and was enjoying a cool refreshing drink from the well near the house. Not more than two hours prior his servants had come to him in the midst of his breakfast bringing word of their progress in planting the spring crop. They also brought word that all of his flocks and herds were doing quite well. Strong and healthy, his livestock continued to multiply and therefore, so too did his wealth. It was almost surreal when he stopped and considered what he had started out with, and what it had now multiplied into. Not only that, but he and his wife were also looking forward to the festivities they had planned for later on that evening. With ten children, little time went by between birthdays and it just so happened that today was one of those days. As a family they would gather together that evening to celebrate the life of one of his greatest and most precious treasures. However, his children had their own sense of tradition and waiting till evening to celebrate was for “old” people. For them the celebration began as early in the day as possible while mom and dad would typically wait to join them until later on, when the evening feast had been properly prepared. It had been a great day thus far and truly there would be much to celebrate tonight.

The afternoon passed quickly and the time was near at hand for the man and his wife to set out for their eldest son’s home. If he knew his son well, they could probably still wait another hour or two and still be early, but all the same they were quite eager to go and join in the celebration. Having readied himself early, the man waited outside as his wife took her time to finish up. Even after all of these years, he still could not understand for the life of him why it took her so long to get ready. Yet in fairness, he could also recall that he had taken so little time in preparing himself in years past that his family would often accuse him of bathing with the camels. Nevertheless, as he was waiting on his wife outside of their home he suddenly noticed one of the servants approaching on foot, and obviously in great distress. Though near exhaustion, he was obviously very upset and even as he approached he began to deliver his message. “My lord”, he said “we were plowing with the oxen in the field, while the donkeys were grazing in the field next to us when Sabeans attacked. They stole the animals, a thousand in all, and killed all of the field hands. I’m the only one to get out alive and have come to tell you what has happened.” Before the man could fully comprehend what his servant had just told him, another of his servants came running up shouting and attempting to speak over top of the first, “My lord, my lord, bolts of lightning have struck and killed all seven thousand of your sheep and all of the shepherds who were tending them. Not a single man or beast has survived. I am the only one to survive and have come to tell you what has happened.”

It was all so unreal, but unfortunately it doesn’t stop there. While he was still staggering from the devastating news which the first two servants had just brought him, attempting to take it all in, a third servant arrived from the fields and again began shouting and speaking before the second had finished, saying, “My lord, the Chaldeans attacked us from three directions all at once. All three thousand of your camels have been stolen and the drivers, many of whom you have treated as sons are all gone, murdered at the hands of these raiders. I’m the only one to get out alive in order to come and tell you what has happened.” And as the third servant was finishing his dreadful report, a fourth and final servant arrived.

Now, if you have guessed that this last servant carried even more bad news you would be correct in assuming so. I have often thought that one of the greatest losses which I could ever experience in this lifetime would be the loss of one of my children, and truly this would be the case. But even this pales in comparison to the news which the fourth servant brought to him, weeping as he delivered his message. “My lord” he faltered, “my lord, your children…they had been celebrating all day at the home of your eldest son, eagerly awaiting your arrival, when out of nowhere a tornado swept in off the desert and struck the house. My lord…the house collapsed on them…they are all dead, and I am the only one to get out alive and bring you this horrible news of what has happened.”

To Be Continued…

To see part 2 of this post please click here: http:// http://fredgarcia.com/2011/04/22/riches-to-rags%E2%80%A6to-restoration-part-2/