Courage Pays Off

Everyone respects courage. The pages of his­tory are filled with deeds of daring that worked out well. Small forces have often overcome vastly superior forces through courage and daring.

One day, after the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony, Mrs. Hendee was working in her field. Indians stole into her house and kidnapped her children. Her husband was away at the time and so she had no one to turn to for help. She uttered a hasty prayer to God for strength and walked straight into the Indian camp She demanded that they give her back her children.

The Indians were so surprised at the woman's sudden appearance among them and at the bravery that drove her to demand the return of her children to her, that they did so without an argument. In fact, they handed over to Mrs. Hendee all the other children they had taken in addition to her own!

Courage should not be confused with foolhardiness. Had the mother stomped into the Indian camp with gun cocked and threatened violence she could have easily been killed. But hers was a quiet courage backed up by faith in God. She knew she was in the right. All she demanded was what was rightfully hers. And she got what she asked for, and more.

Courage rooted in faith in God's power to see that right is done is a very strong force. When we are in the right and can prove it we need not let anyone stand in our way. A person who is in the wrong stands on slippery ground. A person who is in the right has extra strength from God.

Courage is the stuff God gives to truth and right. Thank you, God, for your strength.