"Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others." Winston Churchill
There were many stories told of courage demonstrated during and after the earthquake in China in May 2008. Two that struck me were:
1) A high school student found at the site of a collapsed building had both her hands and both her legs broken. The rescue workers wept, but she smiled and said: "Be brave".
2) A 5-year-old was rescued 24 hours after the quake. His left hand was broken, but he smiled and saluted the rescue workers, even as they cried.
As we admire these brave children, we can only hope that a spark of their courage might inflame us!
How do we respond when we are faced with adversity? Do we mourn our loss? Do we lament the fact that we have to suffer when others have escaped? Does it blur our view of life? Are we distraught by misfortune? Do we curse and swear? Do we blame God for what has happened to us? Invariably, a combination of these emotions and responses get the better of us and we become bitter. How different the Chinese children were! Perhaps their parents taught them to face trial and tribulation with fortitude; perhaps they prepared them for hard days; perhaps they showed them how to rise from a fall. Can we too teach our children to find courage when everything seems lost? Can we instil in them a new sense of joy in life which will not give way to lamentation and despondency? They will learn from us, when we can teach through example!
There were many stories told of courage demonstrated during and after the earthquake in China in May 2008. Two that struck me were:
1) A high school student found at the site of a collapsed building had both her hands and both her legs broken. The rescue workers wept, but she smiled and said: "Be brave".
2) A 5-year-old was rescued 24 hours after the quake. His left hand was broken, but he smiled and saluted the rescue workers, even as they cried.
As we admire these brave children, we can only hope that a spark of their courage might inflame us!
How do we respond when we are faced with adversity? Do we mourn our loss? Do we lament the fact that we have to suffer when others have escaped? Does it blur our view of life? Are we distraught by misfortune? Do we curse and swear? Do we blame God for what has happened to us? Invariably, a combination of these emotions and responses get the better of us and we become bitter. How different the Chinese children were! Perhaps their parents taught them to face trial and tribulation with fortitude; perhaps they prepared them for hard days; perhaps they showed them how to rise from a fall. Can we too teach our children to find courage when everything seems lost? Can we instil in them a new sense of joy in life which will not give way to lamentation and despondency? They will learn from us, when we can teach through example!
