I suppose it was my middle-class, mid-American education that taught me about my rights.
I learned that’s what made us different, this idea that we had more rights than anyone else. I learned to be proud of that.
As I’ve grown, I’ve learned that’s not really correct. What makes America unique is that, as citizens, we have a good deal more RESPONSIBILITY.
As yesterday’s quote says, it’s the difference between knowing what you have the right to do and knowing what is right to do.
The FREEDOM TOUR was born when Becky and I encountered this issue at the Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati. We didn’t realize it at the time, but a simple quote set us on the path toward supporting the kids at the Home of Hope.
As we toured the center and confronted the horrible history of human slavery, we saw these words etched on the wall:
You may choose to turn away, but you can never say again that you did not know. ~ William Wilberforce
As the words and the experience sank in, we became absolutely convinced – we certainly had the right to turn away, but turning away was not the right thing to do.
It was our responsibility to do something.
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Next time – in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had something to say about this notion of rights versus what’s right.