Week 43 Day 2

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Principle, Not Spectacle

For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him.

Colossians 2:9–10

Thy saints on earth, and those above,

Here join in sweet accord:

One body all in mutual love,

And thou their common Lord.

Yes, thou that body wilt present

Before thy Father’s face,

Nor shall a wrinkle or a spot

Its beauteous form disgrace.

The day following the adjournment of the Baltimore Convention, at which President Lincoln was renominated for president, various people called to pay their respects. Being a humble man, Lincoln generally didn’t like such things. While one delegation was being presented, the chairman said, “Mr. President, this is a most active and earnest friend of yours and the cause. He has, among other things, been good enough to paint a most beautiful portrait of yourself.” President Lincoln took the gentleman’s hand, and shaking it cordially, said with a merry voice, “I presume, sir, in painting your beautiful portrait, you took your idea of me from my principles and not from my person.” Abraham Lincoln’s humorous and humble reply also made a point. Lincoln ran on principle, not spectacle. He stood for values, not personal aggrandizement. No portrait could accurately illustrate who Lincoln was and why he ran for president. The whole idea of a portrait was, to Lincoln, preposterous. It wasn’t about him. It was about his values.