Easy Eddy

by Ray Elliott

That was the nickname given to the dodgy attorney of the infamous mobster Al Capone. It was his job to keep the books in check and do all he could to make sure Capone never went to jail.

Obviously this is a job that afforded Eddie a few luxuries; a huge fortified mansion in the city of Chicago and more money than he knew what to do with but there was one thing that meant more to Eddie than all of this, his son.

His shady work had secured more than enough money to make sure his son would have the best of everything in life. This boy’s future was secure but there was one thing Eddie knew his son wouldn't inherit from him; An EXAMPLE.

Eddie decided one day that being an EXAMPLE to his son was more important than all the worldly possessions that money and power gave him and he turned Al Capone over to the police with enough evidence to have him put away. Eddie knew fine well that you don’t simply put Al Capone in prison then go on to live a quiet life but he was prepared to pay any price to make sure his son walked a different path.

And pay he did.

On November 8th 1939 Eddie paid the highest price a man can pay for anything. He was gunned down by Capone’s thugs in broad daylight. The only things in his pocket were a note for his son and a written prayer.

Fast-forward several years to 1942. A pilot named Butch O’Hare was flying away from a naval sea carrier off the coast of Japan when he realised his petrol tank hasn't been filled correctly. Reluctantly, under the instruction of his superior, he turned to fly back to the carrier. On his way he spotted a squadron of 9 Japanese fighter planes about to assault the carrier while its pilots were miles away. O’Hare singlehandedly chased the squadron off with barely enough fuel to land safely back on the carrier. He was the first pilot to win the Medal of Honour during WW2.

Butch O’Hare had learnt a lesson about bravery, courage and nobility from a man who gave up everything to be an EXAMPLE to his son. That man was his dad, Edward ‘Easy Eddie’ O’Hare.

we too have an EXAMPLE and his name is JESUS!

He is our EXAMPLE of humility; a humility which upturned tables and cracked a whip at those who disgraced the house of His Father. He is our EXAMPLE of boldness; a boldness that remained silent in the face of His accusers. He is our EXAMPLE of love; a love that accepts the broken and stands against injustice.

2,000 years on His desire is to see you live in light of this EXAMPLE. Butch O’Hare saved the lives of an entire fleet because of the power of an EXAMPLE. And if that is what he achieved by learning from the example of a man then my question to you is this…

Is there anything that could ever stop you from changing the world when you learn from the EXAMPLE of the Son of God?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An EXAMPLE does not fear being different. It does not give up when the world attacks it. It is not easily forgotten or ignored. It stands out from the crowd. It teaches a lesson that can’t be put into words. It inspires hope, bravery and courage.