I am the Lord

Harry S Truman, the 33rd President of the United States is famous for saying the phrase, “the buck stops here”. He even had a plaque made to put on his desk as a sign of his commitment to the phrase and perhaps as a reminder of his commitment too. This phrase wasn’t just a few words that he pieced together, nor was it a publicity stunt. These words were a part of the character of Harry S Truman.

Harry was born on a farm in Missouri, near Kansas City and spent a lot of time while growing up and even after his time as President working on the land. He was raised to know how to farm, how to treat people and the value of hard work and a man’s word. When Harry was going to school, he worked in a haberdashery (department store) selling suits, shoes and hats. He applied those values of hard work and kindness of others to that job which gave him the reputation of someone who could be trusted and respected.

The hometown, mid-western values Harry learned growing up transferred into how he lead the country while President. The phrase, “the buck stops here” meant he would take responsibility and ownership of decisions and outcomes that came to his attention and required action. Harry was saying that he would not “pass the buck’ onto someone else or blame someone for something they didn’t do; instead he would stand up and sometimes suck up. If you look back at his presidency, you’ll learn he had many very difficult decisions he had to make!

I learned a lot about Harry S Truman by going on a couple of school field trips to visit his home in Independence, Missouri and touring the Presidential Library. I believe he was a wonderful example of a hard working person, intelligent and a good representative of how people were raised in the heartland of the United States. Of course anyone can just “google” him but I’d highly recommend going to the Presidential Library and interacting with the displays. I really felt connected to him as a human person, instead of just a person I read about in a book at school or on the internet.

So what does this little history lesson have to do with the scripture? Well, EVERYTHING! God, like Harry S Truman is drawing a line by letting everyone know, once and for all that God is the know all and end all, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. God is saying the “buck stops here”.

God tells Moses and in turn, all of us who have come after him, that our only concern is to love God and love others, then let God take care of the rest.