As public servants, we are all bound by the same goal, to improve our communities and our nation. We are also bound by a moral obligation to help all God’s children, a task to which we must rededicate ourselves today and every day.
Each of us has our own spiritual and religious journey. Mine did not begin until high school. Not for lack of interest, but because my hometown of Searchlight, Nevada, had no churches. However, while in high school, I was invited to attend a 6 a.m. seminary program -- what many call Bible study. This was my first exposure to religion and I continued attending throughout high school. My future wife, Landra, who was Jewish, would also join me in study.
Later, Landra and I enrolled at Utah State University. We were contacted by Mormon missionaries and, with a faith born from those early 6 a.m. classes, were later baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Today, the compassion of my faith gives me direction as I face the challenging and complex issues of our time, such as the war in Iraq, immigration, health care, and the shared desire for a prosperous future.
All of us, despite ideological, political, and religious differences, are God’s children faithfully working to provide for the common good. I remain prayerful and hopeful that this shared goal will improve our nation and humanity.
Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, is majority leader of the U.S. Senate. He was elected to Congress in 1982 and to the Senate in 1986.
