The
Dalton brothers were infamous outlaws during the late 1800s in the US. They
started out on the right side of the law as officers. But then they followed a
gradual descent into crime and became known for bank and train robberies. Their
day of reckoning came when they tried to hold up two banks at once. Hearing of
the robberies, the townspeople armed themselves and began to fire on the Dalton
Gang. When the smoke cleared, Emmett Dalton was the sole survivor.
After
serving 15 years in the penitentiary, Emmett was pardoned and set free. While
in prison, he had come to see the error of his ways. So when he was released,
he wanted to deter young people from a life of crime. Drawing from his own
experience, Emmett wrote and starred in a film about the Dalton Gang in which
he showed the folly of being an outlaw. In many ways, Emmett’s film was telling
others: “Do not enter the path of the wicked” (Prov. 4:14).
In a
similar way, when we have sinned but have genuinely repented and experienced
God’s forgiveness, we can tell our own story. We can encourage others not to
make the same mistakes we have made. James wrote, “He who turns a sinner from
the error of his way will save a soul from death” (5:20).
If others
learn from our mistakes, And it saves them from the pain That we ourselves
experienced— Then it wasn’t all in vain. —Sper
When we
learn from our mistakes, we are less likely to repeat them. (RBC)
