Today is Presidents’ Day. So what?
I remember when Washington’s Birthday and Lincoln’s Birthday were celebrated on different days. I was still in school then, before the Federal government combined the holidays and moved it to the third Monday in February.
While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now considered a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present. However, I’m not certain that all Americans want to celebrate every president. For that matter, most people won’t give a second thought to what the holiday is all about. They may not even notice it is a holiday, except that there’s no mail, and government offices are closed.
But Presidents’ Day should remind us of the reason we have a president, not a king or a dictator. We get to elect a president every four years. And even though he (or someday, probably, she) is the head of our government and Commander-in-Chief, we still get a say in what happens–through voting, contacting our Congressional representatives, and speaking out in various ways. How many other countries operate this way?
There may be a lot of things not to like about our government, but it’s still the best thing going. People around the world continue to want to come to America.
Speaking through Paul, God directs us to pray for our leaders. “I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 3:1-2).
Why not use the Presidents’ Day holiday as a reminder to pray for all those in our government?