Damascus, Arkansas, 1980.
A simple accident nearly plunged the eastern United States into a nuclear wasteland.
We were deeply enmeshed in the Cold War, a nuclear standoff with the Soviet Union that threatened a holocaust of unimaginable proportions. Each side needed bigger weapons than the other as a deterrent against aggression.
The warhead in the Titan missile silo in Damascus, Arkansas, held more firepower than every weapon exploded in WWII combined, including the two hydrogen bombs dropped on Japan.
A dropped tool by a maintenance team fell eight stories and ruptured a fuel line. The situation escalated to a deadly explosion that flung the warhead 200 feet out of the silo and 600 feet away.
During the buildup of the disaster, no one knew what would happen. Fear caused the men inside to evacuate the silo. Courage drove two airmen back inside to try to alleviate the pending tragedy before it exploded.
Proverbs 26:13 tells us:
“The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!’ ”
A sluggard is someone without bravery, without courage. They let themselves be trapped by indecision, laziness, and lack of motivation.
The airmen who evacuated the silo had good cause. The lion was in the road, about to enter their street, and they had no idea how things would turn out.
Two men said, “We have to do something!”
What’s our response when the troubles of life come at us? Do we evacuate and hope the lion goes away? Or do we leap into action, no matter the consequences?
Let’s find our courage for Christ. He’s our motivation to be brave in the face of the troubles that come against us.
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Code: FGO.E.26.18e.vp.esv