Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester

“In Search of a Moral Compass”
“The road to life is a disciplined life....” – Proverbs 10:17 (MSG)

Thanks to modern technology the need for navigation to steer us in the right direction is rarely an issue. For many years, however, centuries in fact, there has been one tool that was an absolute necessity for traveler’s, especially those who traveled by sea/ocean…and that is a compass.
A compass will always point in the correct direction…it will not point where you are not headed. If you are going in the wrong direction it will not help you. Interpretation: If you are wanting to go south and you are going north the compass will point in the direction you are going. So the key is to know where you want to be and then the compass will get you there.
There is a phrase that we hear from time to time, a “Moral Compass” to be specific, which describes those who live in such a way that others will see and know what is right simply by following their lead…and regardless of the situation will always do what is right because their “compass” (the Holy Spirit) is leading them and He will never lead us in the wrong direction!
Roger Bacon (1214-1294) was an English philosopher and early advocate of the modern scientific method. In his mid-life he became a member of the Franciscan Order and even counseled with the pope on matters that related to religion and science. In one of his reports to the pope he observed that “science lacks a moral compass.” He argued that all institutionalized entities, including the church, lack a moral compass. The point of his argument was that individuals, not institutions, are responsible for inspiring a sense of morality in the marketplace, in governments, in politics, in universities, and the church.
We need look to none other than Abraham Lincoln to observe that morality is born in the hearts of men and women, and through them institutions are changed. In Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863, he declared; “Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
This speech was hardly the first time Lincoln spoke of equality. Five years earlier, in a speech he gave in Chicago, Lincoln said, “I leave you, hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt that all men are created free and equal.” And we might add, “All men and women are created equal.” Lincoln possessed a moral compass that continues to influence our nation to this day. Have you heard the legend of “Molly Pitcher” and her heroism in the Battle for Monmouth, New Jersey, in June 1778, during the War for Independence? It is one of those stories that became embellished over time. Molly may have been her real name, but “Pitcher” was not. Her real name, more likely, was Mary Hays McCauly. Her story gives pride to her community of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and the United States Field Artillery that claim her as their heroine. According to the legend, Molly’s husband served as an artilleryman under General Stirling. Their cannons were aimed at the British Redcoats as they attempted to cross a causeway. Stirling’s cannons bought time for General Washington to take command and regroup General Lee’s scattered forces. According to the legend, Molly accompanied William, her husband, in the fight against the British. While he helped reload the cannon to which he was assigned, Molly hauled an artillery bucket filled with water from a nearby spring to the troops. The men shouted, “Here comes Molly with her pitcher!” Thus, the nickname was given her—Molly “Pitcher.”
It was a hot summer day, and the issue of the battle was still in doubt. Neither side seemed able to gain an advantage. Victory was within the grasp of either army. During the fight, Molly’s husband fell wounded. There was no one to take his place, and his cannon’s crew prepared to abandon the field of battle. But without a moment’s hesitation, says the legend, Molly laid the bucket aside and grabbed the rammer staff from her fallen husband and began to swab and reload the cannon. She quickly mastered the technique and agility of a trained artilleryman. “The enemy is almost upon us!” cried one of the soldiers. “Stand fast,” replied Molly. The cheers of her fellow soldiers rang down the line. The battle turned, and there in the ranks stood Molly Pitcher, a cannoneer. It was said the courageous young woman was awarded a warrant as a non-commissioned office, and thereafter the admiring army called her “Sergeant Molly.” Such is the legend of Molly Pitcher, heroine of the American Revolution. The battlefield monuments tell of her courage and an old rhyme recalls her deed:
Moll Pitcher she stood by her gun, And rammed the charges home, sir; And thus on Monmouth’s bloody field a sergeant did become, sir.
Whether or not all the “facts” of this story are true, a truth remains: Morality is born in the hearts of men and women, and through them institutions are changed. And history is made. It is unlikely that modern-day Mollies will be forced into battles like the Revolutionary War. But it is very likely that women and men of this generation will be called upon to take up the battle against greed, secularism, and moral corruption in our neighborhoods, cities, and nation. Every generation needs leaders with a true moral compass.
Pastor J. T. Carnell.