My wife, Kathy, and I recently toured the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. Occasionally, you hear of a politician that was well-loved. President Lincoln, on the other hand, was well-hated.
Most southerners hated Lincoln, resulting in immediately after President Lincoln’s election, the southern states seceded from the Union. In Washington DC, the political establishment hated him. Even many slaves and former slaves hated President Lincoln, even after the Emancipation Proclamation!
The pain President Lincoln experienced was overwhelming.
Romans 8:25 teaches, “But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”
Due to the hope President Lincoln had of reuniting the States, Lincoln persevered despite the hatred. Sometimes our calling comes with tremendous pain and hardship. With perseverance, there’s hope beyond the pain.
