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The capture of Sadam Hussein proved once again that Hussein was and is a gutless coward. Johann Goethe said, “the coward threatens when he is safe,” and surely that was the case with Hussein. The renegade dictator from his place of hiding has for months has told his followers to go down fighting, to die martyrs, to fight the Jihad, but he couldn’t get all the way out of the place he was hidden before he offered to negotiate. (*By the way, doesn’t his hide out puts new meaning on being Holed-Up.) His depraved, demon possessed sons at least died fighting. What a shame that a man like Hussein, who is a real coward at heart, could ever be allowed to lead a nation. It is always a sad day when cowards are in charge.

Let’s consider courage and cowardice for moment. It has been said, cowardice asks, is it safe? While courage asks, is it right? Courage makes a man live according to principle. Cowardice makes a man live by what is politically correct. A man who gives in when he is wrong is wise; a man who gives in when he is right is a coward. We see cowardice evidenced like this in our churches all the time. We know we are right but we give in to keep the peace or to avoid problems. Someone well said, that the fear of God makes a hero; the fear of man makes a coward. It has been said, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” That can also be said about the cowardly. The difference is the directions they both get going. The courageous go to the fight; the cowardly run to safety and comfort. Teddy Roosevelt said, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them 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, because there is not effort without error and shortcoming...; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumphs of high 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.”

How are cowardice and courage produced? Both are produced by examples. We should consider what our youth are seeing examples of. They are produced by expectation. I played for a football coach who was famous for telling us when we got hurt to “spit on it, rub some dirt on it, and get back in there.” Young people, for the most part have parents who chronically baby them. The expectation level is so low that even remedial courage is not expected. God help us to hunger for a generation that has courage.

Pastor Steven E. Mays – Trumpet Editor
BroMays@FaithBaptistTrumpet.org