Last night Earl and I watched Valkyrie. When the movie came out the History channel began playing show after show and documentary after documentary on the true story behind the July 20th attempt on Hitler's life. We had a lot of background heading into watching the dramatized version of events. It is a great story of courage.
Courage. The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.
It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt, From a speech given in Paris at the Sorbonne in 1910
Without men and women who are wiling to spend themselves and have their faces marred by dust and sweat and blood, we would not have our freedoms. In response to their efforts, my "thank yous" seem paltry and weak. But thank you for laying down your life so I may have freedom.
The cost of freedom is a high and steep price. So often, in order for a people, a nation, an individual to have freedom and to know life, it costs someone else a sacrifice of theirs. I think of a mother, who, in those first few months, gives up her sleep, her body, her energy so her child will be able to live.
And to the One who paid a price so great so I could have a life so free, thank You.
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. John 15:13
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6
the movie was staggering want it? I had blogged about it
ReplyDeletehttp://20birds.net/concealedstars/?p=851
back wne we saw the movie in the theaters. and i told the story about katherine and watching the passion... we need to remember these people who made sacrifices large and samll for us... i would quibble though with the definition of courage... i dont think that "without fear" is a necessary part of the definition... courage can still be present with fear... courage is doing the right thing in spite of fear...
I agree, courage is often in spite of fear. :o)
ReplyDelete