On this day in 1880, James Garfield was elected as the 20th president of the United States. James was the youngest of five children. He was born in a log cabin in Ohio and would end up being the last of the log cabin presidents. His father died after saving the family farm from a raging wildfire. James was only two at the time. His father’s death caused the family to suffer through abject poverty. Childhood was extremely difficult for James. He was often picked on and found comfort by reading for countless hours. Books became his best friends. His love for reading formed a love for learning in general. He excelled in college, especially in the subjects of Latin, Greek, and mathematics. He worked as a janitor, preacher, and canal man to pay off his education. Garfield remains the only president who was an ordained pastor. His faith would continue to grow throughout his life. He was in church so often that his future assassin thought about attacking him at church. He would continue his education, later becoming the president of Hiram College. But politics drew him from full-time ministry and the education field. He joined the newly formed Republican party because of its aversion to slavery. He was elected to the Ohio Legislature in 1859. While serving he joined the Union effort during the Civil War. He proved to be a very distinguished soldier during the Tennessee theater of the war. He served so well that he was named a Major General. After the war he continued to serve in the House of Representatives, fighting for reconstruction. The Republican convention convened in 1880 and Garfield wasn’t supposed to be a nominee, but his speakers enchanted those that were in attendance. James argued against his nomination but after thirty-six ballots he became the dark horse candidate. His excellent oratory skills helped him defeat his Democratic opponent, Winfield Scott Hancock (a fellow Union General). He was by a narrow 11,000 votes, less than .1% more than his opponent. Garfield’s tenure started with great promise. He also happened to be the first left handed president. He was a strong leader and an excellent speaker, but his presidency was cut short when Charles J. Guiteau shot the president twice. His primary motivation was resentment for not being offered a position to serve under Garfield. James suffered for weeks until he succumbed to an infection. He served a mere 199 days, marking his presidency as the second shortest.
James Garfield’s life was cut short because someone was resentful. Resentment is like drinking poison and hoping that it harms someone else. We’ve all felt that powerful emotion. We have felt robbed, unfairly treated, ignored, overlooked. It might be a job where we aren’t given a promotion or a scorned love, or maybe we feel like others have taken advantage of us. What do we do when those dark thoughts creep into our mind? Do we allow them to take our mind captive? Instead, we are to put them away. Paul told the church of Ephesus “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:31-32).” Paul powerfully says put this away. Bitterness, wrath, anger, etc cannot be tolerated in the life of the Christian. Yes, we might be disappointed, and yes we might feel scorned, but that does not give us a license to allow those emotions to overwhelm our lives. We need to put them away. Most of us are putting away summer clothes during this month because we won’t need shorts and swimming trunks. They aren’t needed. The same can be said about resentment, we put it away because we don’t need it. It doesn’t benefit it, it only harms us. Instead, Paul says to be kind, tenderhearted, and to forgive. Those are the harder things to do. It causes us to take our focus off who offended us and instead to have the mind of Christ. The next time feelings of bitterness or resentment wash over your soul, put them away, right away. Put on kindness and love. There are no regrets when we love like Jesus.
