Men of Faith: Willingness to Change
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George Washington
One day I was walking through a bookstore around Christmas time and saw a large, beautifully framed picture of George Washington kneeling in prayer at Valley Forge, which was painted by the famous American artist Arnold Friberg. I knew immediately I wanted that picture in my home! It now hangs in my living room in Cody, Wyoming. What better way could I teach my children and grandchildren about the importance of prayer without saying a word?
Seeing George Washington, the “father” of our country kneeling down on the snow in great humility to his Heavenly Father is awe-inspiring. There is debate about the actual time and place when this prayer took place (or if it even happened) that continues today with historians. While there is no written record by George Washington in his own papers, there is a personal diary of Reverend Snowden who recorded an eye-witness account by Isaac Potts. I think you’ll enjoy reading this story below:
“In that woods pointing to a close in view, I heard a plaintive sound as, of a man at prayer. I tied my horse to a sapling & went quietly into the woods & to my astonishment I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone, with his sword on one side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at Prayer to the God of the Armies, beseeching to interpose with his Divine aid, as it was ye Crisis, & the cause of the country, of humanity & of the world…Such a prayer I never heard from the lips of man. I left him alone praying.”
As I think about men of great faith, I always think about George Washington and the hard-working, self-sacrificing, humble, valiant man he chose to become. Here are some of his quotes about faith in God, leadership, living a good life, and his changing views on slavery:
Faith In God
“Oh, eternal and everlasting God, direct my thoughts, words and work…”
“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable.”
“True religion affords to government its surest support.”
“It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”
“We beseech [God] to pardon our national and other transgressions…”
Leadership
"We should never despair, our Situation before has been unpromising and has changed for the better, so I trust, it will again. If new difficulties arise, we must only put forth New Exertions and proportion our Efforts to the exigency of the times."
"Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness."
“When one side only of a story is heard and often repeated, the human mind becomes impressed with it insensibly.”
“A people unused to restraint must be led, they will not be drove.”
“Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more expected from him, than the title.”
Living A Good Life
“Associate yourself with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation; for ‘tis better to be alone than in bad company.”
“Happiness depends more upon the internal frame of a person’s own mind, than on the externals in the world.”
“Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to appellation.”
“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”
“My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.”
Changing Views On Slavery
George Washington began questioning slavery during the Revolutionary War, when he led the North American colonies’ battle for independence from Great Britain.
Throughout the 1780s and 1790s, Washington stated privately that he no longer wanted to be a slaveowner, that he did not want to buy and sell slaves or separate enslaved families, and that he supported a plan for gradual abolition in the United States.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”
—Declaration of Independence, 1776
“There is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan adopted for this abolition of [slavery] but there is only one proper and effectual mode by which it can be accomplished, & that is by Legislative authority.”
—George Washington, 1786
When he drafted his will at age 67, George Washington included a provision that would free the 123 enslaved people he owned outright. This bold decision marked the culmination of two decades of introspection and inner conflict for Washington, as his views on slavery changed gradually but dramatically.
I always admire people who are willing to change for the better when they gain more experiences that point them toward true principles that govern life. When people have an unwavering faith in God, they courageously seek and do God’s will. George Washington was a person who was willing to admit when he was wrong. He did what he knew God wanted him to do as he set a noble example for others to follow. George Washington was a man of great faith.