Several weeks ago a friend of mine, James Stringer, caught me after church and asked if I would be willing to speak to the Clinton Civitan Club. If you know me (or my parents) you know that talking comes rather naturally; silence is the more difficult assignment. Nonetheless, when James told me that he not only would like me to talk about the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Mississippi but also include some patriotic thoughts, my mind and lips fell silent. How in the world was I going to connect my passion for the mission of Make-A-Wish with my patriotic feelings?

It may be wishful thinking, but I believe in good ideas and I strive to live into the ideal. Admittedly, my personal convictions (those deep-seated beliefs that if I changed, I would no longer be the same) are all based on someone else’s ideas, but when blended with my personality and experiences the combination in my life creates a unique calling. The collective will of a community expressed in representative government; the desire for wholeness and peace with each other, creation, and our Creator; and, the wonder of life seen through the eyes of children, currently captures my thoughts and imagination. In each of these three areas someone expressed a good idea then created a community that attempted to live into the ideal.

Without oversimplifying the various forces that led to the creation of the United States of America, our nation was formed by idealists with what are really simple ideas. I encourage all fellow citizens to refresh themselves with the ideas that formed and matured our nation. Specifically, I call to mind our Declaration of Independence, the Lincoln Memorial Address of Martin Luther King, Jr., our Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address.

In July of 1776 a few idealistic troublemakers announced their intention to rebel against King George III; yet, they first addressed correspondence to him because they felt it was the “decent” thing to do particularly in “respect to the opinions of mankind.” Attached to their complaint was a litany of grievances to demonstrate that their actions were not based upon “light and transient causes.” Nonetheless, our Founders sought “to alter or to abolish” the existing Form of Government and establish one that seemed to them “most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” Our Founders’ troubling ideas for government seem built on one idealistic premise, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Were their ideas just wishful thinking or could a nation be formed and maintained upon their ideals?

The equality of people envisioned by the Declaration of Independence was far from a reality over the past two hundred years of our history. Blacks, Hispanics, and Orientals were discriminated against politically, economically, socially, and relationally. Due to our failure of living into our nation’s ideals, a young minister named Martin Luther King, Jr. stood before the country and called us back to a great idea, yet fully realized. Even though anger was justified, he encouraged us to act ideally and “not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred” because we are called to act on the “high plane of dignity and discipline.” His dream for this nation was simply that it live up to its potential and ideals so that “one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.”

As a side note, for those of us Christians out there, could it be that our nation’s Founders or Reverend King were motivated by biblical ideals? The Apostle Paul purports, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Or, perhaps it was even the words of Jesus, “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). I wonder if, like the Founders, Martin Luther King, Jr. was guilty of building an entire movement on wishful thinking.

I serve an organization that was founded on wishful thinking. The mission of the Make-A-Wish Foundation is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. From our humble beginnings in 1980 with one boy’s wish to be a police officer, we have grown into an organization that grants a child’s wish in the U.S. every 41 minutes. Twenty-seven years ago someone had an idea to give hope to a sick child and it reflected an idealism that was present in our nation from the very beginning.

I have been told by many that it is unrealistic to believe that every child in our state with a life-threatening medical condition could have their one true wish granted, but I think differently; and, by the way, our estimates are as high 212 Mississippi kids per year are medically qualified. I believe that once people in our state truly understand that they have the power to grant a wish and bring hope, strength, and joy into the lives of children and families, we will be overwhelmed with referrals and resources. Granting wishes was not my good idea, but it is now the ideal that I pursue.

I hope you will consider joining me in forging a community and nation that attempts to live into many ideals: A principled government serving free and equal citizens, a forgiven people given the task of reconciliation, and sharing the power of a wish with children in need. Maybe I am just plain wrong in my ideas about our nation, hope for a redeemed community or even the power of a wish; but, I choose to continue in my wishful thinking….