Acts, Chapter 10,
verse 22
They answered,
“Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, respected by
the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his
house and to hear what you have to say.”
Cornelius
was a mensch. That is to say a person
with high integrity and honesty.
The
other day, while going through my personal notes, I ran across some notes I had
taken on a lecture on life’s most important learning’s and I thought Cornelius
was most likely a master of these points.
·
Be
a Mensch.
·
Never
stop learning.
·
Love
and be loved.
·
Don’t
be afraid to take risks.
·
Set
the example.
·
Take
care of your health.
·
Take
care of your family.
·
Watch
your mouth.
·
One
person can make a difference.
·
Life
is a test/challenge; live it!
In
today’s book study of Character is Destiny the 1st
President of the United States is McCain’s example of a man who demonstrates
for us the characteristic of SELF CONTROL. Self-control is the ability to control one's emotions, behavior,
and desires
in the face of external demands in order to function in society. (Matt DeLisi)
George
Washington like Cornelius was a warrior and a mensch. George Washington was a
self-made man who learned to govern himself before he governed our great
country. Washington was a passionate man by nature yet he was famous for his
reserve and graciousness to others. Washington worked on himself very hard to
control his temper and to not be sensitive to criticism.
It
was a lifelong struggle and at times he was given to fits of anger. So much so the Indian name for Washington was
“boiling water”. His passion was a two
edged sword that either cut for him or against him.
His
passion was also the source of his great courage. History records his fury in
battle where he wore out two horses and stood in defiance of withering fire and
having his coat tore by four musket balls. Washington did not just tell his men
to stand fast and face the enemy but set the example; leaping headlong into
battle and the men followed.
Washington
disciplined his passionate nature with iron will and self-control. Washington
wrote, “Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect,
to those that are present” and, “Labor to keep alive in your breast
the little spark of celestial fire called conscience.”
He
strove to be a man of unquestionable dignity and manners. He was modest and wore
clothes that were fine and neat but never showy. He was consciously groomed and
was seldom discourteous anyone, of higher or lower station in life. He knew his
strengths as well as his weaknesses; there was no hubris in him.
He understood the nature of his countrymen as well as he understood his own. He knew we are all flawed, that we must always be alert to the danger of ungoverned appetites, and must strive to control and improve our nature. He understood his country at its birth needed a leader of towering honor, wisdom, and selflessness, whose appearance must fit the role as well as his character, did. And through the constant application of his self-control, he inhabited that role as no one has again, and became, in fact, the father of our country. He imprinted his character on his nation, and in that sense we are all his descendants, a people famous for our constant struggle to improve. We are never so removed from the failings of our nature that we cannot stand more improvement, but neither are we so removed from Washington’s magnificent example that we dare not dream we can achieve it.[2]
Next
week we will be studying the character trait of courage as demonstrated in
Edith Louisa Cavell who was a British nurse. She is celebrated for saving the
lives of soldiers from both sides without discrimination and in helping some
200 Allied soldiers escape from Germany during WWI.
Courage
is the ability and willingness to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation.
Physical courage is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death or
threat of death, while moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face
of popular opposition, shame, scandal or discouragement.[1]
[2]
McCain,
John; Salter, Mark (2005-10-25). Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every
Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember (Kindle Locations
2167-2170). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
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