Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?

Meet Jim Nicholson. He works as a teller at a bank branch in Seattle, Washington and was on-duty a few weeks ago during a robbery. The suspect entered the bank wearing a beanie-cap and dark glasses while angrily demanding money. He also threatened both Jim and the other workers and patrons of the bank with a supposed concealed weapon, promising to take action if they did not meet his wishes.

Rather than succumb to fear, Jim allowed his instincts to take over. He threw the bag that had been handed to him by the would-be robber onto the floor, leaped over the counter, and demanded to see the weapon. This was not the way the suspect intended things to go evidently, and he turned and fled from the bank on foot. Jim followed, chasing him down the street, finally catching up with him a few blocks away and holding him until the police arrived. When asked why he went beyond the normal call of duty for a bank teller in apprehending the robber, Jim responded, “I thought if I let him go he would rob more banks and cause more problems." At its best, this appears to be a rational explanation and in many people’s eyes (including mine) Jim is a hero.

However, two days later he was fired by his employers for violating a rule that tellers are not supposed to confront would-be robbers. After all, they reason, the money is insured by the FDIC - a department of the government. Jim admitted to being trained to act in that manner by his employer, but he said that in that particular moment his instincts took over and the response came natural to him.

What would I do in a situation like that? Sometimes I wonder. I hope that if circumstances placed me in such a position that I would have the fortitude to act in the same manner as Jim. He did, in my opinion, what is right and honorable. Instead of backing down to criminals, he stood up for both himself and all that is decent and right in the world. Was it a dangerous response? You betcha. But sometimes the right response or a just action will place you in harm’s way.

We are taught today from an early age to go along with what is considered to be ‘politically correct’ and to dare not make waves in our society. The ultimate trust and faith should not be in ourselves or our talents and abilities, but in the government and those that are otherwise in charge of us. We have become in many, many ways almost a custodial society, most of us, depending on others to make our decisions and to tell us what we should do. This is sad.

I may not be totally correct in this manner of thinking, but I have no doubt in my mind that I am very close. I also believe that it is going to get worse as the years go by.

James said in chapter four, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” There have been several times in my life (so far) where I had to make a decision that I knew would affect not only myself, but others as well. In those situations I usually think things through carefully, wanting to benefit others with my choices as I hope they would want to benefit me if they found themselves in the same situation and faced with the same set of choices. I am not always good at this, but I do strive to do my utmost when called upon to do so.

However, there have been several times when I have sat back, unwilling or unable to act during scenarios that required or even demanded that someone take action. I am speaking of secular situations as well as spiritual ones I have been confronted with in my past. To remain stoic when the Holy Spirit has moved you to do something is a sin, as explained by James. We think of sin as something that someone has to commit, but sometimes we can sin by omitting things that we should do.

Sometimes doing the right thing will not be the popular or ‘hip’ thing to do. And sometimes the right thing might place you in a bind or cost you something that you may hold dear to your heart. But as Christians we are called out by God’s Word to do the proper things at all times and this means no matter what the consequences may turn out to be for us in the end.

Wherever you are today, Mr. Nicholson, I wish only the best for you. When you foiled that robbery in my way of thinking, you did the right thing. I appreciate and I also admire you for it.