Tomorrow, July 16 in 1861, 33,000 Union soldiers began marching toward Manassas, 30 miles west of Washington, to fight 22,000 Confederates in the first major battle of the Civil War. "Many Washingtonians rode out to Manassas Junction in their carriages with their packed lunches in hope of watching the rebels surrender soon after the first shots were fired." (Thomas DiLorenzo, "The Real Lincoln," p.38)
Not so fast! By July 21 the Union army had been defeated. Secretary of War Stanton wrote, "The rout, overthrow, and demoralization of the whole army were complete." Four years later, 620,000 had been killed, the equivalent of 5 million in today's population.
It took time...It took work...Anything else?
The war on terror? Time and work.
Making your marriage successful? Time and work.
Raising responsible children? Time and work.
Developing spiritual resources to withstand trial and temptation? Time and work.
You're in for the long haul. Time...Work...and I hope you do it all with prayer, lots of prayer, to the Giver of all good gifts (James 1:5).
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