By Brenda Groves
The Post Newspaper Contributing Writer
I have always been very interested in history.
So, when I found out that the 1989 mini-series Lonesome Dove was loosely based on the life of a real Texas Ranger it peaked my interest.
In the series, the character of Captain Woodrow F. Call, played by Tommy Lee Jones, was loosely based on the real life of Charles Goodnight.
Goodnight was the most famous rancher in Texas history, and the most widely known Texan of his time. He became a Texas Ranger at the age of 21, recruited because he was already locally famous in North Texas as a skilled Indian scout and tracker.
His biographer, J. Evetts Haley, said that Goodnight and his partner Oliver Loving were the first to drive cattle from Texas to Colorado. This crazy venture, that many people said was foolish at the time, ended up making Goodnight wealthy at the age of 30.
By the time he was in his 90s he owned the largest ranch in Texas, well over a million acres.
As I skimmed the short biography of facts about this man’s life I came upon a spiritual truth.
The article stated that Goodnight was fascinated by the shields the Native Americans carried to stop arrows and bullets.
He had always heard that the shields had reams of paper stuffed inside to make them bullet resistant.
One day he acquired one after a retreating Indian dropped it.
Goodnight took it back to camp and pried open the buffalo skin cover and wood frame and was shocked to discover an entire book inside. The book was, “The History of the Roman Empire.”
The next sentence jumped out at me, “It solved the mystery as to why raiding Comanche so often took Bibles. They wanted the paper to bulletproof their shields, or more accurately, to make them bullet-resistant.”
Wow! What a great analogy for the shield of faith.
When we fill ourselves up (feed/stuff our spirits) with the word of God, we can “… take the shield of faith with which we will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Eph. 6:16
If I am not feeding on the word of God my heart will be exposed to hurtful words, accusations, insults, lies, betrayals and much more. Because, when my eyes are not on Jesus (Word of God), then it’s all about me.
You know Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” KJV
So then, when we take up the shield of faith, (faith in Jesus and His love, protection, mercy and grace), the darts of the enemy will just slide off of the shield around our hearts.
God’s word written on our hearts helps us to respond in kind when offended, to think the best when people are at their worst.
For instance, when someone cuts us off in traffic our shield of faith will cause us to bless them instead of cursing them and throwing our own darts back at them.
Other people are not our enemy.
We should not harden our hearts against them, but rather guard our hearts and keep them tender towards the Lord and He will help us to respond in love when things around us are not so lovely.
I am the first to say, I am not doing this perfectly. But when I find myself returning evil for evil, or insult for insult I know to check my shield. Has some of the “stuffing” fallen out? Or have I allowed it to drop to my side?
If so, I just pick it up again, and again, and again. Lol!
At the same time I want to digest more of the word of God and keep being filled with His Holy Spirit.
Now, that is fighting the good fight of faith.
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles (deceptions) of the devil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God …” Eph. 6:10-17
NKJV (Parenthesis mine.). Information used in this column about Charles Goodnight was obtained in an article by Texas Historian, W.F. Strong.
Contact Brenda Groves at: bkgroves1996@yahoo.com
