Stephen Derges inspires us to live heroically

Stephen G. Derges

Have you ever walked through a graveyard and read the epitaphs honouring the lives of our predecessors? I have a few times - not out of some sense of morbid curiosity, but to see how people are remembered and what kind of impact they must have had on the folks around them.

Not so long ago I was commissioned to produce brochures for a couple of local Anglican Churches and so found out numerous interesting facts about the buildings and the people who built them or who served in them. I came across many inscriptions to individuals who have dedicated themselves in service to a community and who are remembered and revered by subsequent generations.

We all have heroes and heroines - people we look up to or admire - for a variety of reasons. One of my Biblical heroes from the Old Testament is a man called Caleb. This guy was amazing right up to his last days.

Caleb was one of the twelve spies Moses sent into Canaan after the Israelites had escaped from Egypt. Together with Joshua, Caleb came back with the report that although the land was inhabited by giants because God was on their side, they would overcome. The other ten spies however were afraid and convinced the people not to go on. They even wanted to stone Caleb and Joshua for daring to believe they could be successful.

The upshot was that instead of trusting God, the Israelites went with the 'glass half empty' brigade and their decision led to a forty year desert experience. Only two adult males - Caleb and Joshua - survived to eventually get to the Promised Land.

The Bible records what God said about Caleb, "But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it." What an endorsement to receive from God Himself! Now that's what I'd call an epitaph - an enduring legacy.

But for me the interesting part about Caleb's life was still to come. Eventually after their forty years in the desert, Joshua leads the people across the River Jordan into the land God promised the Israelites. After the famous battle for Jericho, there were numerous other skirmishes with the indigenous people and in the Book of Joshua chapter 14 we read that Caleb claims his inheritance - at the ripe old age of 85!

At the time when most of us would be hoping to have retired and had our feet up for at least 20 years or so, this guy is demanding the fulfilment of a promise to inherit a scruffy old hilltop territory and telling Joshua he's going to go up there to claim the place. And nobody had better stand in his way!

As you can see - Caleb had a different spirit. Joshua blesses Caleb and off goes Caleb to claim the land.

He was quite a guy. Why? For at least three reasons:

• Because he wasn't afraid to take God at His word: Caleb knew God wasn't going to lead them into a trap. He'd already experienced the miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea. He knew God was on their side and wanted the best for them.
• Because he wasn't prepared to take the easy route: He could have sided with the other ten spies and said, "This is too difficult for us - we're not ready for this battle. They're much too big for us." But Caleb was made of sterner stuff and wasn't easily intimidated.
• Because he held onto his promise: Forty years is a long time to wait for something that could have been his much earlier. Even then he hung around for another five years before he went to Joshua to have his dream fulfilled. Caleb had patiently waited, fought in battles for other tribes' land, deferring his own interests for the sake of others.

And by the way, who says as you get older you lose your memory? Caleb didn't - even at 85 he still had his marbles and wits about him!

People impact our lives in many ways but more importantly people look at our lives too. We can be heroes and heroines to future generations when we stand up for what is right and take responsibility when things go wrong instead of trying to find an easy escape route or blame someone else.

Heroes and heroines aren't born - they're made because of the things they do. The Bible tells us that faith without action is no faith at all. Compassion, fairness, justice, loyalty, integrity aren't just 'nice to have' traits. They are attributes that set us apart and which significantly affect our relationships with other people.

If I ever make it to aged 85 I'd like to be a Caleb - hanging on in there, continuing to trust God to work out His purposes in my life. I hope you do too.

This article has been taken from the short book, 'Lasting Legacy' by Stephen G. Derges. "Lasting Legacy" is one of a series of books - 'Bitesize Beliefs' - written by Stephen addressing the implications of living an authentic Christian life-style in a practical, 'how to' manner. 'Bitesize Beliefs' are designed to be short, introductory, easy-to-read books designed for the kind of short attention span, 'sound-bite' and 'instant makeover' world we live in.