He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
Deuteronomy 32:4
Stephen Hopkins was faithful to the cause of American Independence and completely devoted to making the new nation a reality. According to those who analyze such things, he was the “signer with the worst penmanship.” But according to Denise Kiernan, he had a good excuse — he suffered from a form of palsy that led to “incessant shaking.”
One thing that didn’t shake (unlike his more famous cousin Benedict Arnold), was his commitment to “patriotic pursuits.” In that regard, he “never wavered.” He himself stated as much, “My hand trembles, but my heart does not.”
Hopkins teaches us an important life lesson about the importance of being faithful and dependable in the fulfillment of the promises and commitments we make. Seeing things through, reliably, without wavering is an important success quality that we would do well to emulate.
(For more on Hopkins and the other signers of the Declaration of Independence, see “Signing Their Lives Away” by Denise Kiernan, 2009)
