Post Theme: Chivalry at its Core
I recently heard the story of Lynn Marchessault and Canadian Ranger, Gary Bath. Lynn and her children were traveling from Georgia across Canada to North Pole, Alaska where her husband was returning from deployment with the U.S. Army. In British Columbia, the family experienced tire failure and were stranded. Not only this, but Lynn had never driven on snow before and a terrible storm was blowing.
Gary heard about the situation through Facebook posts. He saw that many people were offering them money, or wishing they could help the family get to the border. But Gary realized the family needed someone to drive them. So he talked to his wife and made the decision to drive the family more than 1600 km (nearly a thousand miles) to the border. When asked in an interview if this was just part of his job, he explained that helping people is part of being a ranger—but really, it was just the right thing to do.
Chivalry at is Core
Gary’s actions demonstrate chivalry at its core. Gary exercised each of the four major components of chivalry—Vision, Compassion, Courage, and Commitment. He saw there was a need. It moved him to compassion. Then he acted courageously based on this core commitment to do the right thing.
Without the commitment to doing the right thing, fear and convenience win. With this commitment, however, we are already in a position to rise to the occasion. This in itself helps equip us to make chivalry a way of life.
Gary went above and beyond what would generally be consider necessary. Most of us won’t be called on to drive a thousand miles to help a stranger, but how might our impact on the lives around us change if this principle was actively and intentionally applied to our daily life?
Mr. Marsh, one my favorite characters in Shadows of Chivalry, demonstrates this sort of chivalry in a similar situation when he learns that Micah is having trouble getting back to town to take care of his brother’s estate. He is a perfect example of how God can use ready and willing saints to answer the prayers of His children. You can read that excerpt from Shadows of Chivalry here.
We could all use a little extra dose of chivalry!
