Heroism gives hope

The Apostle Paul bids us to “look not only to your own interests, but also the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). Furthermore, the Apostle John wrote, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:3). Of course, the Lord Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of self-sacrifice- “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

These great admonitions about self-sacrifice have seemed to be lost upon our current age. Many of us have watched the May 24th footage from the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas where literally hundreds of law enforcement personnel stood by in a hallway as a crazed gunman killed 21 people and injured 18 more in a pair of adjoining classrooms. Most of the victims were children. The footage speaks for itself and the explanations for the inaction of the police paints a troubling picture.

I sometimes think present era has been given over to a spirit of cowardly self-preservation. It can seem to be “every man for himself” these days. A society that values individual self-preservation over community care and sacrifice, if need be, is doomed.

However, six weeks after the Uvalde shooting, an amazing report came from Lafayette, Indiana. On the night of July 11th, twenty-five-year-old Nicholas Bostic was driving along doing his pizza deliveries near midnight when he saw a house engulfed in flames. Seeing no emergency cars, he ran into the burning house and began yelling to see if anyone was still inside. He heard nothing, but still felt there may be people trapped, so he walked through the house which was filled with choking smoke and made his way upstairs, where he found four kids … they ranged in age from one to 18. They were sleeping, and Nicholas woke them, and they ran to safety. They were all outside, when one of the kids told Nicholas there was a 6-year-old child still inside the house. Nicholas ran back inside, but he had no idea where the child was … he screamed for the child as he meandered through the burning home, even looking under beds. He found the last child and jumped out of the window with her in his arms. With no concern for his own self-preservation, Bostic saved five people in under fifteen minutes. Bostic’s parents should be proud. He is an actual hero.

Then, not a week after Bostic’s amazing rescue of the Barrett children, on July 17th another episode of true heroism unfolded. Twenty-two-year-old Elisjsha Dicken was at the Greenwood Mall in Greenwood, Indiana with his girlfriend, getting ready to eat some dinner in the food court. On the other side of the food court, perhaps as much as forty yards away, a murderous psychopath came out of the bathroom and started firing a rifle at people in the food court. He fired twenty-four rounds in seconds, killing three people and injuring two to others. Within seconds Elisjsha presented his Glock handgun, told his girlfriend to get down, steadied himself against a pole, and subdued the murderer by firing 10 shots at distance. Amazingly, eight of his ten shots hit the perpetrator and stopped his murderous rampage. The calmness of Dicken coupled with his proficient shooting under incredible duress is truly astounding. Clearly, he was well practiced and prepared. Thank God. Without his swift action, there is no doubt that dozens would have been killed or injured. Dickens‘ parents should be proud. He is an actual hero.

I can tend to get down on the next generation of men. It’s not all their fault. We are living in a degenerate, foolish, lazy, and lost age.

But Elisjsha Dicken and Nicholas Bostic give me hope.

Proverbs 24:10-11 states, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.”

Young men, be men. If called upon, be heroes.

In the Lamb,
Pastor Tony Felich