Skip to main content

The Power of a Positive Example

               Billy Mitchell had a problem.  His experience as a pilot in the first world war convinced him that airplanes were the way of the future, but no one believed him.  Most people thought that airplanes were simply military tools or toys for the rich, so Billy decided to show people what airplanes could do.  In 1919 he organized a transcontinental air race.  However, it was not as simple as it sounds. 

               The first problem was that the military surplus airplanes did not carry a lot of fuel, so Billy had to organize makeshift airports every two hundred miles.  None of the aircraft had reliable navigational or flight aids such as compasses or altimeters.  Therefore, Billy decided that the pilots would find their way across the country by following the railroad tracks.  Also, the open cockpit airplanes were cold, and their engines tended to catch on fire in mid-flight.

               Despite the challenges, sixty-three teams signed up.  Forty-eight would start from the east coast and head west, while the remaining fifteen teams would go in the opposite direction.  Then, to make the competition even more difficult, Billy decided that the teams had to not only cross the country but return to their starting point.

               The race began on October 8, 1919, and immediately caught the public’s attention.  Newspapers gave daily updates, the makeshift airports drew huge crowds, and the pilots became celebrities.  After a total of fifty-four crashes and nine deaths, Belvin Maynard was declared the winner after crossing the country and back in nine days.

               The good news is that people finally understood what Billy believed all along.  Within a year, the US postal service began an air mail service using the same route as the air race.  Not long after that, people started talking about passenger service and the airline industry was born.

               Sometimes people need an example before they understand what is possible. 

That is true in spiritual matters as well, so Paul writes, “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you” (Philippians 3:17). 

Whom do you know that is a good example?  What do you appreciate about them?   How have they helped you?  Maybe it would be worth your time to share that with them.  Maybe you need to consider your example to others.

Examples are powerful. 

              

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: A Path Worth Following

  Jehoram was a terrible king.  He reigned in Judah around the year 850 B.C. and he did not care about God or his people.  His first act as king was to assassinate his six brothers so that no one could challenge his authority.  He was brutal and selfish.   Therefore, when the Bible sums up his life, it says, “Jehoram… passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David” (2 Chronicles 21:20).  Did you catch that?  “To no one’s regret!”  What a terrible phrase for your tombstone. On the other hand, consider a lady named Tabitha.  She lived in the city of Joppa in the first century A.D. and we are told, “… she was always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36).  She became sick and died.  This caused the community so much grief that they called Peter, who was in the nearby town of Lydda, to come and help them.  When Peter arrived, a crowd gathered, bringing all the robes and other clothing that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: Press The Button!

  Consider This:  Press the Button! My favourite TV game show is Jeopardy.  I used to like it even more when my kids were younger, because I could easily beat them and look smart.  These days, after they have grown up and gone to university, it is much more difficult.  However, Jeopardy is still the only game show I will watch. In a book I read, a contestant who did very well on the show shared the secret to his success.  He said (and I am paraphrasing here), “You must press the button before you know the answer.  Everyone on Jeopardy is smart. Everyone knows the answer. The key to winning is to act.  You must jump in and press the button, assuming that your brain will catch up and supply the answer.  If you wait until you are sure, you will be too late!” Press the button! Too often, we hesitate, not because we do not know what to do, but because we do not want to do it.  Sometimes, we fail to act because we are not sure how the situatio...
Post a Comment
Read more