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On the morning of April 19, 1775, John Parker was lying in bed. He didn’t have long to live…but that fact had nothing to do with the 700 British soldiers marching his way. No, the 46-year-old colonialist was withering away from the effects of advanced tuberculosis.
However, when he heard the Redcoats had left Boston headed for Concord to seize the few military supplies stored there, he knew they’d have to march right through his hometown of Lexington, Massachusetts. Knowing what he had to do, he painfully pulled himself out of bed, grabbed his gear, and walked the two miles into town to assume leadership of the 60 or so militiamen that had gathered in defensive positions.
The tension was palpable in the small hamlet. On one side was a disheveled group of farmers, teachers, and carpenters masquerading as soldiers…and on the other side, actual soldiers from the mightiest military on Earth.
It was a lopsided and dangerous fight that none of the colonists wanted, but Parker and his men took their positions, valiantly standing in defiance of the King’s army headed their way. Before the day was over, eight of Parker’s men would be killed with another ten wounded.
Today, tourists can walk the hallowed ground where “the shot heard round the world” was fired. Visitors will find the simple, yet determined words Parker spoke to his men etched on a stone. “Stand your ground. Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.”
John Parker wasn’t looking for a fight…but he found himself in one, nonetheless. He knew the odds…but he also knew the stakes. It wasn’t a fight that he’d have picked, but when the fight came, he fought.
As Christians, we must do the same. After all, the apostle Paul tells Timothy to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12).
