A New Meaning For Me

"The only lasting treasure is spiritual; the only perfect freedom is serving God."

Malcolm M

As a lifelong resident of Maryland, I always enjoyed visiting Pennsylvania. It represented wilderness to me: mountains, valleys and wildlife. When we moved to PA almost three years ago, I already felt comfortable with the land.


The move was still difficult because of the new area, new people and new customs. Leaving behind 60 years of friends was difficult. They weren't just an hour or two away. And everything I knew up to that point rested in the state boundaries of Maryland.

I've adjusted; I've learned, and I've acquired a few friends here. And I love the wilderness so close to me now. But recently, I read another reason that interests me about PA. I probably learned about it in school, but, well, right now school was a long time ago.

In Richard G. Lee's devotion book: In God We Still Trust, his October 3rd devotion shared about William Penn and his "Holy Experiment." Penn is the founder of Pennsylvania. He was imprisoned in England several times for his Quaker faith. He wrote 'No Cross, No Crown' and a statement in that book is quite compelling: 'No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.'"

In 1682, Lee wrote, "Penn established the Pennsylvania colony as a land of religious freedom, granting religious freedom and tolerance to every denomination. He printed advertisements in six different languages and sent them across Europe. The Quakers, Mennonites, Lutherans, Dunkards (Church of the Brethren), Amish, Moravians, Huguenots (French Protestants), Catholics, and Jews from England, Sweden, Wales, Germany, Scotland, Ireland, and Holland began arriving to take part in his 'holy experiment.' To emphasize his goal of Christians working together, he named their city 'Philadelphia,' which is Greek for 'City of Brotherly Love.' He maintained that religion is not to be limited to some Sunday ritual, but should be an integral aspect of everyday life, characterized by people getting along with one another."

"A free will is not the liberty to do whatever one likes, but the power of doing whatever one sees ought to be done, even in the very face of otherwise overwhelming impulse. There lies freedom indeed."

George MacDonald (1824-1905)

Many of us hear from time-to-time Philadelphia being called "City of Brotherly Love." But I wasn't a history buff and never took time to dwell on the name and anything I learned in school has long been forgotten. But at this juncture of time and history, I was encouraged to read these words about Pennsylvania and hope that there are many out there that still strive to live with "brotherly love."

"Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants."

William Penn (1644-1718)