Teddy Roosevelt died on January 6, 1919, and William Taft cried after the funeral. The two men had been close friends when Taft served in Roosevelt’s cabinet. They were so close that Roosevelt endorsed Taft as his presidential successor.
Taft had served loyally for several years, and Roosevelt, who had become increasingly progressive by the standards of the early 1900s, believed Taft was the man to carry his political vision forward. Unfortunately, Taft turned out to be quite conservative, and Roosevelt felt betrayed. Roosevelt was so unhappy with Taft’s presidency that he decided to run against him in the election of 1912, after which Taft felt betrayed.
The two men split the vote sufficiently, allowing Woodrow Wilson to win the presidency. Fortunately, at some point before January 1919, Taft and Roosevelt worked out their issues. At his friend’s funeral, Taft would say their reconciliation brought him great peace.
Life is short. We need to forgive people. Those who hurt us might not deserve our forgiveness, but then again, we don’t deserve Christ’s forgiveness, yet He offers it to us anyway.
Whom do you need to forgive today?
(photo courtesy of pixabay.com.)
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Tim Holder is a writer.