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Courage Courage
Courage Courage
| Courage |
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| Written by Eugene Harder |
| Sunday, 03 April 2005 06:04 |
Courageous Unto Death“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13  "Fear none of those things which you shall suffer be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life." (Revelation 2:10 ) Stanley Albert Dale was born 89 years ago in Australia. His drunken father didn't believe God existed. His mother was sad and emotionally unbalanced. Stanley was constantly teased by the big boys who made his life a living hell. One day the bullies knocked Stanley to the ground. They shouted, "Weakling, why can't you stand up." Sobbing Stanley told his father, “They called me a weakling.” Sneering his daddy said, "The're right, you are a weakling." When twelve year old Stanley stopped crying he thought, “Why doesn't my Daddy tell me how to be strong?” At school Stanley was asked read a poem. The bullies behind him snickered and hit him with a spitball. Stanley began to read, "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing their's and blaming it on you; Instantly Stanley thought, “Whoever wrote those words must have understood Stanley Albert Dale’s school misery.” If you can trust when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies. Or, being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise. The poem spoke directly to his heart, causing tears to flow. For the first time Stanley experienced the power of poetry to stir the human heart. The girl next to him read on. If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, To watch the things you gave your life to broken, And stoop and build'em up with worn out tools; Stanley took the book home to the top of a hill and read. If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold On." After supper, Stanley lit his lamp and read on. If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but not too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With 60 seconds worth of distance run - Yours is the Earth and Everything that's in it, And - which is more- you'll be a Man, my son! Rudyard Kipling’s words gave Stanley new courage. Boys and girls, you're going to learn that there comes a time when we must stand up for what we know is right." Your courage will encourage others. Every day at school you're going to be tested. Every day we make some choices about right and wrong. Will you be strong and say, "That's not right, I won't do it." 2000 years ago Satan was bullying the Christians in Corinth. They were breaking the ten commandments. The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to them which said, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.” (1Corinthians 16:13) Paul is saying, "Kids, don't be weaklings because there comes a time when we must stand up for what is right." Your obedience will inspire others to be true to Jesus. Stanley started exercising to build up his muscles. One day a bully climbed to the top of a sand dune and chided, (stand on chair) "I'm the king of the castle and Stanley's the dirty rascal." Stanley ran up the sand dune and knocked the bully down. The bullies gave Stanley a new name, "toughie". Jesus does not want us to fight like that. Jesus says, “Turn the other cheek.” Don’t solve conflicts by force. Many kids have strong muscles but no inner strength. When Paul told the Corinthian Christians to be strong, he meant for them to be able to say no to the big bully, Satan. To say no to the temptation to sin thus encouraging others to say NO to Satan and YES to Jesus. At 17 Stanley invited Jesus to be his Saviour and Lord. When Stanley told his father, sneering his dad said, "So the weakling is trusting a God who doesn't exist, I see I no longer have a son." Kids, there comes a time when a person must stand up for what he or she knows is right." Stanley was discovering that the only man who could fulfil the poets ideal of a man was Jesus Christ. Kids, always do what Jesus tells you to do. Remember, your obedience will inspire others to obey. Eventually God called Stanley to the jungles of New Guinea to tell cannibals about Jesus love. He hiked through steep canyons and high mountains to find these cannibals. Stanley arrived in the middle of a war between the people on the left side of the Valley and those on the right side. Facing hundreds of hostile warriors Stanley quietly walked up to them holding out his hands. They put down their spears and made peace. After four years in that valley, hundreds of cannibals accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Stanley was learning to stand firm in the faith and be a man of courage and strength, a beacon of hope others could follow. A few years later Stanley visited the Seng valley, a place no missionaries had ever visited. The people were hostile and hundreds of warriors with bows and arrows started following close behind them. Stanley knew they were in grave danger and told God that he was ready to die for God's glory. An arrow pierced his back, he pulled it out and spun around to face the warriors. There they stood, their bodies shiny with pigs fat. Bones protruding through their nostrils and ear lobes. Faces painted red and black and white. Stanley was not a weakling, he was a spiritual toughie. Another arrow found it mark, then another and another. Stanley stood like a man, calmly pulling out the arrows and breaking them. Normally 5 arrows in the upper body will bring a man down. Stanley stood unruffled pulling out 10, 20, 30, 40 arrows. The warriors began fearing that Stanley was a great white spirit who could not be killed but might turn on them. Hesitantly they fired 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 more arrows. Kipling wrote, “If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew to serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold On." The Apostle Paul said, "Be on your guard; stand firm in your faith; be a person of courage, don't compromise truth for silly new ideas; don’t be a weakling, be a spiritual toughie who is always true to Jesus." Remember, the fire of your devotion lights the way for others. Stanley sank to the ground and into the arms of Jesus. He stood for Jesus even unto death. What a hero. What a strong Godly toughie. Young people as you get older you will discover that standing tall for Jesus is more important than life itself. Every time you say no to temptation to lie, cheat, steal, you stand tall like Stanley stood. Please do not forget, your obedience inspires others to obey. Today in the Seng Valley on that gravel bar where "The Weakling" stood tall for Jesus a little monument says: STANLEY ALBERT DALE
Loved husband of Patricia Martyred Seng Valley 25th September, 1968 Revelation 2:10 "Fear none of those things which you shall suffer be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life." CONCLUSION: Two years after Stanley was killed, his killers invited Stanley's friends to come and teach their people about Jesus. The fire of Stanley’s devotion lite the way for others too come to Jesus. Jesus, Paul and Stanley are asking you to; “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.” (1Corinthians 16:13) "Fear none of those things which you shall suffer be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life." (Revelation 2:10 ) I will be on my guard. I will stand firm in the faith I will be a man/woman of courage I will be strong and true to Jesus.” (1Corinthians 16:13) "Fear none of those things which you shall suffer be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life." (Revelation 2:10 ) |