We owe it to our founders: this election must not be stolen

Now is the time to pray for America.

Maybe you’re not a praying person, at least not regularly. But I’ll briefly share why now is the time to pray that the landslide re-election of Donald J. Trump, the man God has chosen to lead America for this crucial season of our existence, must not be stolen.

We owe our hope to 102 brave souls who came  before us.

Have you ever been offshore in a small craft when even moderate waves developed? It’s un-settling to say the least. Have you ever taken a cruise on a large ship across the sea and been confronted by a real storm? It’s nerving. The ups and downs of the vessel as it’s tossed by the waves and pelted by rain-driven wind is enough to briefly turn an atheist to God. If such an experience occurs at night, when the surrounding sea is pitch black, the level of fright is abysmal.

I mention the above because that’s exactly what the 102 “Pilgrims” faced off-and-on for over two months as they slowly made their way across the Atlantic in a small shabby ship to what is now New England.

Their goal?

Liberty.

They were fed up with the harsh mandates handed down by the King of England , especially those involving their right to worship the God of the Bible as they saw fit.

The majority of the Pilgrims were what could be deemed “middle-class.” They left comfort, safety, and stability to brave the unexplored. “By exposing themselves to the inevitable hardships of exile,” Alex de Tocqueville explains in his book,  Democracy in America.  “They wanted to assure the triumph of an idea.” These men, women, and children proved to be willing and able to tolerate unnumerable setbacks and trials, as long as they could worship God in their own way and live out their lives in freedom.

Their ship, The Mayflower, was only 100 feet in length and 25 feet at her widest.  It was designed to cross the English Channel, not for the high seas. At night, the passenger area was pitch dark. At most, there was five feet of headroom — and only four where supportive beams stretched across the low deck.  Countless times throughout their journey they thought they would perish.

It was not much better when they finally arrived at Cape Cod in November . This was the middle of what was “The Little Ice Age.” The region was densely forested, with a fresh layer of snow, and already bitterly cold. There were no welfare systems or expansive government-run social safety nets to bail them out. It was only courage supplanted with prayer that strengthened and spared them.

Even so, after that first winter nearly half their number had perished. Nonetheless,  they would preserver and, decades later, eventually prosper and see their goal attained.

And that goal?

Freedom. The opportunity to live one’s life as one sees fit; afloat and limited only by one’s talent, fortitude, and courage.

Pray. This election must not be stolen. The plans of the democratic party are the antithesis of what our Pilgrim founders intended.