I am a curious sort when it comes to finding out information that I want to use publicly. If what I know belongs to me – and don't make me explain – I don't worry a whole lot about making some mistakes. I have thought I was right a lot of times and found out I was wrong. Accept my apologies.

In today's case, I really want to know. I have been trying to brush up – actually do a complete work-over – on what I have forgotten about U.S. government over the past 50 or so years. I was reading through a very scholastic work called, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to American History," when I came across a name I don't ever remember knowing. 

The name is Richard Henry Lee, a representative from Virginia and a member of the first Continental Congress. Had it not been for an illness, Lee would have never left his governmental work to return to Virginia, and Thomas Jefferson might not have been chosen to fill the vacancy and then would not have been credited with forming the Declaration of Independence. Wow!

I mentioned this to Dr. Tom Caiazzo, a professor of American Government and a whiz-bang of knowledge. He said, "If you think that's interesting, let me tell you about Filippo Mazzei!"

Since Tom is also Italian and claims a shady Sicilian background, I leaned in to listen. Mazzei was a well-educated man who eventually settled in London to expand his food business. It was there that he met and became friends with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Adams. 

My guess is that when Franklin and Adams found what they had been missing on their pizza was sausage topping, they encouraged Mazzei to move to Virginia and open an Italian ride-through. They didn't have cars back then. It was also in the Colonies that he eventually met Thomas Jefferson, who was very impressed with this newcomer's intelligence and political capability.

Here's the surprise! Mazzei wrote, "We think if we could have but one and the same Constitution for all the united colonies, our union would be infinitely stronger." Filippo Mazzei has been called the godfather of the Declaration of Independence.

Just think about it! Was this merely a coincidence or an act of providence that took Lee out of the political picture and put the right people in the right place to make the right decisions? A lot happened back in 1776.

Do we realize that these men chose the path that would lead to the creation of the most powerful, wonderful and capable government the world has ever experienced?

Since I am a great believer in providence – and by that, I mean divine direction – we all must make choices. God seems to always give us a pot full of options, some seemingly easy and some seemingly way too difficult for us mortal folks. The way is always there, but God allows us to make the choice. What must we do? We choose and step out in faith.

Let me share a word or two from Hebrews, chapter 11. We can read about Noah, Abraham, Moses and so many more who stepped out in faith, with no guarantees, to take a long journey into the unknown trusting that God would see them through. And when we realize that Hebrews declared quite clearly that each one died in faith, never having received what was promised in their lifetime, we have to be amazed!

Be brave! There are plenty of promises in life. There may be lots of honor, glory, recognition, reward and accolades to go around, but there are no binding contracts to seal the deal. We are given life. What we do with that life is up to us, even in the face of hardship, disappointment and struggle.

We step out in faith and as Hebrews describes it so well, may God help us to die in faith. God will take care of the details.

Thanks, God!