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Don Locke: Lookin Thru Bifocals

A young man was asked how he reached the highest office in his company.

“I read and studied the Bible book of Proverbs,” he said.

The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, the King of Israel:

A man of understanding will seek wise counsel (Proverbs 1:5).

Sometimes underlings can give wise counsel:  In World War II, Hitler, as a last ditch effort, virtually threw his whole army — go-for-broke — against the outnumbered U.S. troops surrounded at Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Belgium Bulge.  It looked bad for our side.

The soldiers there who knew the situation first hand, tried to get help from the brass at U.S. Army headquarters back in England:  Generals Eisenhower, Bradley, and Patton.

Only Patto responded.  Ike and Bradley refused to believe that Hitler could amass that many German troops at that time near the end of the war with Germany.  Even great men wear blinders sometimes.  General Patton didn’t.  He knew the troops surrounded them at Bastogne realized the situation better than anyone else.  Patton was a soldier’s soldier.  He had mud on his combat boots.  

Patton took his 3rd Army and headed to Bastogne.  Generals Ike and Bradley said he couldn’t make it in time.  Patton said he could.  General Patton marched his troops 200 miles in one day and night and relieved the small garrison at Bastogne, and saved many lives.  Patton was a “can-do” general.  “My troops will do it for me,” he said to Ike and Bradley.

Sergeant Onva (Short) White of Morgantown (KY) was a crew member of Patton’s tank column that helped relieve the troops at Bastogne.  

The Battle of the Bulge turned out to be the greatest battle of World War II.

“Let not mercy and truth forsake you.” (Proverbs 3:3). 

Maybe some of you saw the TV movie, regarding Henry.  

Henry was a lawyer in a large insurance firm in a big city.  As an innocent bystander walking down the street one day, a stray bullet, fired from an unknown source struck him in the head resulting in severe brain damage to Henry.  Although not completely, he was a long time getting back to some semblance of normal.

His company did let him come back to work for a while, at the same salary, sitting in his old office. 

During that time Henry’s secretary brought him files of old court cases of his firm.  

One day in one case he discovered his insurance company had lied to get out of paying a client’s hospital bill. This bothered Henry that his company had lied (Let not mercy and truth forsake you — Proverbs 3:3).  So he took the court record to the cheated client’s home and showed him where his company had lied. He told the man to “take this paper to your lawyer.” 

The case went back to court. The company had to pay the hospital bill after all. 

Henry went back to his company’s boss and told him, “I don’t want to be a lawyer anymore. I have changed.”  Henry left and went home. 

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due. (Proverbs 3:27)

“For the Lord is a shield to those who walk uprightly. He guards the paths and preserves the way of his saints (Proverbs 2:7-8). 

The movie ended although with less income, (the wife went to work), we were left with the assurance that Henry and his family continued to be blessed. 

Kindest regards… 

 
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