"This is Where I Stood"

A story is told of an incident that occurred during the War Between the States. It seems that a beleaguered river port town in Florida was about to be overrun by the Union troops. Few men were left in the town because most of them were away in the Confederate Army. There were some elderly men; but the defense of the town was largely in the hands of young students in a local military academy. They lined up on the banks of the river with their meager weapons to defend their little town. As the Union troops approached and noticed the helplessness of the young boys, many of whom were not even teen-agers, the Union troops relented. Years later, one of the boys who had taken part in the memorable events of that day, would greet visitors at the river's edge. Now an old-timer, he would plant his cane solidly in the ground and say, "This is where I stood." We might laugh at that story, at that old man. And yet, look at your own life today. There are issues and battles all around us, choices to be made, struggles to be fought. Can you look back proudly over the years of your life? Will you be able to look back on the decisions you make today and the battles you fought or the compromises you made, and say, with a sense of satisfaction and a clear conscience, "This is where I stood?" We cannot always be successful; but by God's grace, we can, at least, be faithful!