Carpe Diem
Happy Reformation Day!
On October 31st, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his “95 Theses” to the church door in Wittenberg, presenting his arguments against the church’s doctrine and practice of indulgences. By 1520 he was excommunicated and by 1521 he stood before Charles V declaring, “Hier stehe ich. Ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir. Amen.” (Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.) And thus Martin Luther was declared an outlaw and the Reformation was born.
It takes both character and conviction to stand against the tide of general consensus. We may have a conviction that something is right, but lack the courage to stand when all others are moving in a different direction. History is filled with examples of men and women who took a stand. We have read their stories. How many stories have you read of those who did not take a stand?
When Douglas MacArthur was a colonel in the First World War, someone criticized him while he was on the front in the trenches for wearing a sweater from West Point that was clearly against US Army regulations for military uniforms. His response was basically that no officer was ever noted for all the regulations he obeyed.
One question that comes to mind is, “What comes first? Courage or convictions?”
I believe the most important first step is to develop convictions. Strong convictions lead to courage, and without a strong conviction it is questionable that we’ll even have the courage to take a stand. This requires us setting aside the time to think and develop our thoughts and understanding. The easy way is to just go about the day and do the things everyone else is doing or what we’ve always done.
Luther clearly took the time to develop his thoughts as reflected in the “95 Theses” on the day he took a stand. He didn’t just get up on the morning of October 31st and say, “I think I’ll take some outrageous stand on some issue today. Now what would really piss some folks off? I know! I’ll go after the church!” He took years to develop and struggle over his convictions.
Carpe Diem comes to us to suggest that life has no guarantees; we live one day at a time. Time marches onward, you have no guarantee that you are moving into one of the many winters left in your life or your last one. So don’t let this day just pass you by. It is time to carp some diem. Think about who you are and what you stand for.
Posted at 09:05AM Oct 31, 2007 by George Miller in Personal | Comments[0]