Christian Foundations
DEVOTIONAL ARCHIVE
by Dennis and Barbara Rainey
Many of the soldiers on D-Day never made it out of the water, and many more died on the sand. But those who found a temporary place of safety faced another moment that tested their characters. Behind them, on the few yards of beach they had crossed, the cries of death were everywhere. As they looked forward, they saw nothing but barbed wire and entrenched nests of lethal German machine gunners.
It was grim.
It was war.
At moments like these, true leaders step forward, and that's what happened at Omaha Beach. In one case, a lieutenant and a wounded sergeant exposed themselves to gunfire so they could inspect an entanglement of barbed wire.
The lieutenant slithered on his belly back to his men and asked, "Are you going to lie there and get killed or get up and do something about it?"
Nobody moved, so the lieutenant and sergeant-still under enemy fire-blew up the barbed wire themselves. This got the men moving, and eventually 300 made it through that section of the German lines.
My favorite story, though, concerns Colonel George A. Taylor, who commanded the American Sixteenth Infantry. His troops were also pinned down by the murderous gunfire, and he, too, realized they would not move unless he was willing to lead.
"Two kinds of people are staying on this beach," he yelled, "the dead and those who are going to die. Now let's get the ____ out of here!" And with that he led his men forward to attack the Germans.
History records that, on D-Day, boys became men...they stepped up to the challenge of the moment...the allied forces prevailed...and the war was ultimately won.
We're slowly losing the battle for the family because not enough leaders have stepped forward in the smoke of the battle to rally the troops.
And where are these leaders? The families of America are crying out for men to lead, love and serve their wives and children.
Ask God to grant you victory in the battle for your family.
Discuss: If you are the husband and father in your family, what is keeping you from being a courageous leader in your home?
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