The Red Badge of Courage: Spiritual Insights from Classic Literature, #9

By Ruth ONeil

The devotions in this companion to The Red Badge of Courage are not ideas taken directly from the story, but instead one line is used from each chapter of the book and developed to illustrate a deeper spiritual thought. This book is ideal for homeschoolers who want to double up on literature and devotional reading at the same time, for lovers of classic literature, and those who are just looking for something a little different than the norm.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ruth ONeil
• Release date: Mar 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201569525

Ruth ONeil

Ruth O’Neil has been a freelance writer for 20-plus years. She sees everything as a writing opportunity in disguise, whether it is an interesting character, setting, or situation. You can find her book series “What a Difference a Year Makes” on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or her website (http://ruthoneil.weebly.com/). You can also visit her on her blog at http://ruths-real-life.blogspot.com/. When she’s not writing or homeschooling her kids, Ruth spends her time quilting, reading, scrapbooking, camping and hiking with her family.

Book preview

Introduction

One of the many things my parents instilled in me was a love of history, especially the Civil War. They belonged to the North-South Skirmish Association where there were shooting competitions as well as dress competitions, which my mom's talented sewing often won. My parents had a home-based business where my dad made the leather accouterments for the soldiers and my mom made everything else from uniforms to camp dresses to ball gowns.

It's because of them that I needed to read The Red Badge of Courage. No collection of mine would feel complete without some Civil War in it.

So, enjoy this sneak peek into what the Civil War was like. If you want a more in-depth look at the Civil War but still want fiction, you should consider reading the book my mother (Jeri Doner) wrote entitled Victory Song.

Grade level 6 and up.

Chapter 1

He was swelled with a tale he had heard from a reliable friend, who had heard it from a truthful cavalryman, who had heard it from his trustworthy brother, one of the orderlies at division headquarters.

How do you handle rumors and gossip?

Right at the beginning of the story, we see an excited soldier. While doing the mundane task of washing his laundry, he heard a rumor that the Army was getting ready to move. Of course, this was a rumor they had heard before, but these young soldiers were looking forward to something besides the mundane chores and talk around the campfire every day. But there wasn't a whole lot to talk about besides what the men had heard from others.

Gossip and rumors can be powerful things, but not necessarily in a good way. They can move people to action to do something that shouldn't be done. Juicy bits of gossip can spread from person to person to person. Gossip is often hurtful to at least one person in every situation.

The Bible tells us in Exodus 23:1:

Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness (KJV).

Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels (2 Timothy 2:23 NIV).

Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth (Proverbs 26:20 KJV).

So what should we do when faced with rumors and gossip? There are a few options.

1. Immediately go out and act by impulsively spreading the gossip further. (This is not recommended.)

2. Stop the gossip with you. Inform whoever is telling you that you don't want to hear it. Don't spread