The One Who Would Die For Me

I, Amanda Rose, did not write this story. It was written by my next door neighbor, Mathew Reams, and edited by his wife, Wanda Reams years ago. I had the privilege of reading it at their house tonight, and thought you all would enjoy it as well. All credit and copyright goes to them. Here it is...

In the 1800's after the civil war there were many soldiers with not much to do, so the government decided that with so many extra men with little to do they would finally be able to do something about the Indians in the west. They sent generals into each territory with armies and orders to subdue and conquer all Indian peoples within their territories. There was one general who had sent each of his armies out against each of the Indian nations in his territory. All of his armies returned victorious, except one. That army had gone against one chief, his family, and no more than one hundred warriors. Yet with so few they had defeated the army.

So, again the general sent out another army and again this chief and his warriors defeated this army. The general sent out yet another army and again his army was defeated. Finally the general called all of his officers together and said,

"I am sending all of my armies at once against these people. I want these people conquered, but do not kill this chief and his family. I want them brought back to me. I want to find out what makes this man such a fierce warrior and a great leader."

The general's armies went down and attacked the chief and his people. For three days the chief and his warriors fought the soldiers. For the rising and falling of three suns many soldiers and many warriors died. After these days of fighting, the Great Chief surrendered, and he and his family were taken to the fort and were summoned to council with the general.

The uniformed general came in and stood behind his desk and looked at the chief and his family. He then said,

"Chief, you have caused me much trouble, much time, and lives of many soldiers. For these things it is within my power to order the execution of you, and your family. But I have given it much thought and I'm going to ask you a few questions. Depending on how you answer these questions will determine the fate of your family."

The chief said nothing. They stood and looked at each other for several moments. Then the general finally spoke.

"Chief, what would you do for me if I spared your life?"

The chief answered him, saying,

"Great General, if you spared my life, I would serve you all the rest of my days."

The general pondered his answer and asked,

"Chief, if I spared the life of your child, what would you do for me?"

The chief looked down at his child. Lifting his eyes to meet the general's, he said,

"Great General, if you spared the life of my child, I would fight for you for the rest of my life."

The general again looked at the chief. The general pondered this, for he knew to have such a great warrior fight for him would truly be something.

"Chief, if I spared the life of your wife, what would you do for me?"

The chief looked into the beautiful eyes of his wife and he thought of the many seasons they had walked together; how much he loved her. He turned and looked at the general and without hesitation, he said,

"Great General, if you spared the life of my wife I would die for you."

This impressed the general. He knew to kill such a fierce warrior would take an amazing man indeed. At that moment the general stood and said,

"Great Chief, because you have answered all of my questions with great honor I grant you and your family your freedom. You may go in peace."

Then the general left the room.

After he walked past them and out the door, the chief turned to his wife.

"Did you notice the long knife he wore on his side?"

His wife replied,

"I did not notice this."

"Did you notice the many stars he had on his shoulders?" The chief asked his wife.

Once again she replied,

"I did not notice this."

The chief asked, "Then did you notice the many shiny buttons he wore on his blue coat?"

Again she replied, "No, I did not notice this."

The chief studied his wife, trying to understand her.

"How is it you did not notice these things about the man who stood in front of us for such a long time?"

His wife looked directly at her husband and said,

"I could not take my eyes off of the one who would die for me."

This story, entertaining though it is, was written with a metaphor in mind.

The general, as his conversation with the chief begins, refers to the chief simply as "Chief", but as the chief speaks to the general, he immediately refers to him as "Great General", treating him humbly, and with a respect the general had not earned.

I mean, think about it, the general and his men invaded the chief's home, killed most of his warriors, and then played games with the lives of the chief's family. That chief would have had every right to be angry. But he wasn't. He remained kind. Wise.

The general did not honor the chief with the title: "Great Chief" until he had proved himself in the general's eyes. Until he had impressed him with his fierceness and love and loyalty.

Too often, we do the same. We expect God to prove Himself to us, to prove He is worthy of our devotion. Well He is. He is perfect. We are flawed human beings, who make mistakes and bad decisions every day. He helps us in that.

The chief's wife was right in her thinking. She could not take her eyes off of the one who would die for her.

That's what Jesus did for us. He treats everyone with respect we do not deserve. He is never vindictive, never unfair. He did give His life for us. I pray we all follow the example of the chief's wife, and never take our eyes off of the One Who gave His life for us.