What Would ______ Do?

Sometimes life brings on challenges that are not easily understood. We go back through the check list and try to find something that we left undone, causing the situation we are in. Other times, life can throw a sucker punch, leaving us reeling and trying to regain balance. In any event, life can overwhelm us to the point of despair. Sometimes we don't always know how to respond with grace. Brenda and I, when confronted with certain things that come down the pike, look at each other and usually say, "What would ______ do?" Our response to difficulties show what we are really made of.

The standard "fill in the blank" would be, as you might guess, Jesus. But not always. Sometimes it is someone who we admire--an imperfect human who has shown grace under fire. Their response to an accusation or a difficult situation exposed an inward calm and class that turned adversity into a display of courage and private dignity. In this age of Jerry Springer, and the myriad of characters who insist on displaying their dirty laundry for the world to see, there seems to be a decreasing measure of propriety when responding to a hostile world. In Proverbs 17:28, the Bible says, "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue." The folks who show restraint are the ones I admire.

A few of the greatest examples of character from recent history for me to emulate are Jacqueline Kennedy, Coretta Scott King, Rev. Billy Graham and Ronald Reagan. In the case of Graham, I have watched his responses to sharp religious criticism on TV interviews with the dexterity of a well-trained athlete. We may not agree with everything these people have said or done, but one thing is clear: they have all displayed a sense of refinement when the glaring spotlight was upon them. The reason that I'm such an avid reader of history is so I can glean wisdom from lives well lived. We may get off the starting block a little shaky, but the important thing is that, in the end, we triumph.