“Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the supreme Being, in whose hands Victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble Actions.” —George Washington General Orders (1776)

Ever had one of those days when you just needed to step away from it all and take a deep breath of fresh air? Does it ever seem like you’re having those days all week?

Seems like much of our last year has been filled with those days.

My profession, and that of your Patriot editorial team, involves constant analysis of threats to Liberty, which manifest in many forms large and small. We then face an endless loop of publishing deadlines to ensure those threats that we deem noteworthy make it to hundreds of thousands of our fellow Patriots nationwide, via the most concise daily digest on the web. That’s our mission, and we’ve been doing it better than most and for longer than any!

But sometimes with too few breaths in between.

Though I’m hesitant to reference an NFL player these days, as an example of perseverance and doing the right thing, there is one who comes to mind — one who carried himself with class and dignity both on and off the field; one who overcame the “experts” who said he was too small and too slow to make it in the NFL; one who always stood for our national anthem.

Emmitt Smith.

The NFL is hemorrhaging fans because of trend started by a sophomoric narcissist, Colin Kaepernick. Smith said of Kaepernick, “Leadership is not given to you. You have to earn it. You can’t be Colin Kaepernick walking around with your headphones on all of the time and not talking to nobody.”

While Emmitt believes Colin deserves another shot despite himself, when asked if he would “take a knee” during the national anthem, Smith said, “There’s a lot of wrong in this country. But there’s a lot of right. Don’t let so much of the wrong destroy what has been right. People have worked their behinds off to get to this point of right. Let’s not go back. Let’s make it better.”

But I am not making reference to Emmitt Smith because of his words about the latest NFL controversy, but for how his NFL career reflects his character and perseverance.

Emmitt was a unanimous college football All-American (1989), eight times a Pro Bowl player (1990–1995, 1998, 1999), Super Bowl MVP (XXVIII), and three times a Super Bowl champion (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX).

But that’s not what impresses me most.

In 1996, Smith returned to the University of Florida to complete his college degree during the NFL offseason – fulfilling a promise he made to his mother when leaving for the NFL. She was there for his graduation – waving a “Proud Mom” sign!

Admirable, but that’s not what impresses me most.

He retired from the game after 15 grueling seasons as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, with 18,355 yards. His 164 career rushing touchdowns puts him ahead of all other running backs, and his 175 total touchdowns puts him in second place only to Jerry Rice’s 208.

As amazing as those accomplishments are, they’re not what impresses me most.

What I admire most about Smith’s achievements is his relentlessness perseverance, which is best expressed by his average yards per carry: 4.2.

FOUR-POINT-TWO!

At 4.2 yards a pop, think about how many times he had to carry the ball to amass 18,355 yards. Emmitt ran hard, got tackled, got up, went back to the huddle, and did it again. And again, and again, and again, and again.

Most days, it seems like that’s what we’ve been doing every weekday for the last 20 years — advancing American Liberty just a few yards at a time on average. Then getting up and doing it again and again.

That being the case, maybe we cherish a day of rest each week more than most — Sunday, especially here in the foothills of the Appalachians.

There’s a reason why we only publish a snapshot “Week in Review” on Saturday, and never publish a word of news, policy or opinion on Sunday. It’s so that YOU, like us, can take a breath of fresh air. And I hope you do! That can be a challenge, because virtually all news sources flood our inboxes on Sundays, as if it were no different than any other day of the week. Whether great conservative publications like National Review or those leftist birdcage liners like The New York Times, they all hit our inboxes on Sunday — which is why we do NOT check our inboxes on Sunday!

Again, here is Smith’s advice about the right attitude when keeping our eye on the goal: “There’s a lot of wrong in this country. But there’s a lot of right. Don’t let so much of the wrong destroy what has been right.”

This Scripture verse is among a few above my morning prayers: “Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

It is sometimes difficult to hold to that meditation in my personal life and even more challenging when accomplishing our Patriot mission. But our mission is founded on the true, noble, just and pure foundation for Liberty, the unalienable Rights of Man as “endowed by our Creator” — the rights of all people. As George Washington proclaimed, “Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!”

Amid the din of all the incoming assaults on our senses, as we look forward to the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, let us never lose sight of the fact that there is so much good and right about our great nation. And let us never allow the wrong to overwhelm the right.

Patriots, take a deep breath, and take heart in the knowledge that there are tens of millions of Patriots who are equally devoted to Liberty. Hold fast to Washington’s counsel in his 1776 General Orders: “Let us animate and encourage each other. … A Freeman contending for Liberty on his own ground is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.”

I humbly ask your prayers for our Patriot team, that we would be tireless in our mission in defense of Liberty, and that we would seed and encourage the spirit of Liberty in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

Thank you, as always.

Follow Mark Alexander on Twitter

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776

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