by Dr. Michael Smith

Created on: August 29, 2009   Last Updated: August 30, 2009

Those of us who lived through the Kennedy era of Camelot cannot help but feel a sense of sadness at the passing of the youngest and last of this family who gave much to our nation. Like many I remember exactly where I was as a 6 year old the day President Kennedy was shot, and where I was as an 11 year old when his brother Robert was killed. I watched with sadness as news of John, Jr. dying in a plane crash was announced. We who are a part of the Kennedy Era share a sorrow with this family that one had to live through to know.

While the opinions vary widely over their influence, past, and legacy, once you separate all the opinions, you must admit the net result is a lot of good was accomplished by Senator Ted Kennedy and his family for this country. African Americans and other minorities have rights today, they only dreamed of in the sixties, because John and Robert Kennedy were willing to challenge the status quo. Man set foot on the moon because President Kennedy challenged science to make it happen.

But of all the accomplishment s of the older brothers, Teddy Kennedy may well have left the greatest legacy. While some focus on single facets of his life, his failures, his bobbles, when you look at the whole gamut, he made great changes in civil rights, immigration, the disabled, etc. As I reflect on his life this week some spiritual lessons for us come to light. His spiritual training is now over and while his eternity rests in the hands of his God, we are commanded by Scriptures to consider the lessons found here for our own lives.

I. Take the Long-term view of One's Life

Many never seem to be able to see beyond Senator Kennedy's views on abortion or his liberal political views. Christians measure the man by the litmus test of one issue and discount a thousand others because the one splinter prevents them from seeing the 2x4 in their own eye. Despite the admonition to not judge, we tend to take one or two events in a person's life and pronounce him a failure.

Don't you hope that at journey's end, our critics and our defenders will look at all we did, and not just at one or two things in order to assess our success or failure? That is how God judges us. He always takes the long view; our failures do not eradicate previous successes. While we define the life of the Psalmist David by his adultery, God calls him a man after his own heart. God does not see nor does he judge in the same way we judge. We are commanded to have the mind of Christ, to be forgiving,

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