It is the end of the day, I have been in class for nearly nine hours, and my mouth is dry from the vitamin pills I am currently taking. Due to my exhaustion, I will be writing from the top of my head, rather than sitting and constructing sentences that make sense. As a leader, my day has been somewhat frustrating. I won't go into the details, but if I can write out some of what I'm thinking it might help me stay in check.
Here at the DLI (Defense Language Institute) I have been assigned two primary leadership positions: Squad Leader for ten IET soldiers and Section Leader for a class of ten. During my time in the Army, I have learned a lot about leadership. And while it is true that I base some of my decisions on past experiences, it isn't what drives me, nor is it the foundation for my values. This is one reason why I don't enjoy sharing "war stories" or even the things I have done or been witness to.
The Army is big on values. So much in fact that they post their "values" all over the place: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage have become one of my mantras during my career. But if one really thinks about it, these aren't really values. Let's say a situation comes up where a soldier must decide on being a good friend to his buddy (loyalty) or between turning him in (duty). What does he do? Thus, the Army Values aren't really values, rather virtues. They're great to have, but don't help a soldier come to a definite conclusion in their decision.
I guess what I needed to remind myself of was this: If there is one thing I've learned during the span of my career, one aspect of life that I have been blessed to see, it would be that throughout everything Yahweh is present. He is here in Monterey, He was with me jumping out of planes, He was with me in Iraq and the other twelve countries I've been to, and He is here with me now. One of my favorite things about Him is that He never changes. No matter where I go, He's there, ready to accept me for who I am and where I'm at. Because of this, His holy Word has become the light for my dark path. It has become the basis for my values.
Lord, help me today. Help me become the leader and man you want me to become. Allow me to see the world through Your eyes, rather than my own, and help me to remain strong through difficult times, keeping my eyes fixed on You. I rest in Your arms.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Sunday, March 05, 2006
put down the Big Mac
This past week has been intense, both in class and out. Class has been going by at blazing speeds. It is only by the grace of God that I have: a. not fallen asleep during a lecture, b. been able to understand most of what the teachers are talking about, and c. not thrown myself out of the second story window due to insanity. This course consumes me. There is not much else I think about during the day other than Arabic and how can I learn more Arabic?
As most of you know, I run as a pastime. In fact, I have been putting in at least four miles a day, the latter part of the run usually being straight uphill. This past Saturday I was running through downtown Monterey, past the quaint shops smelling of fresh coffee, to the top of a few parking garages, and then past the flock of swans in El Estero Park; all this while I dodge old people strolling along the boardwalk. My usual routine when running through town is that when I get stopped by a traffic light, I get down and do push-ups until the light changes. On this particular day I was doing push-ups when I heard this loud *CRASH* behind me. I turned around to see that a small car accident had occured about four feet from where I was exercising. The person who was rear-ended (a woman of large proportions, not to be trifled with) decided that the accident was cause enough to put down the Big Mac she was consuming, and get out of her car to see what had happened. She steps out, holding in her other hand a large vanilla ice cream cone. The man who rear-ended her was an elderly Korean man, who by the sounds of things, couldn't speak a word of English. I haven't seen a funnier sight than these two strangers try to talk out their new problem together!
Every morning I ask the LORD to use me. To let me be a light to a dark world. To let my life count for something. With that prayer, I ask that He allow me to encounter who He wants me to during that particular day. Just as those two strangers in the intersection met, that's how I want the LORD to arrange my meetings with people. I'm not saying I want to get in accidents with people! But it has been amazing to see the people God brings across my path, if I'm willing to see them.
This evening someone on my floor, someone that I barely knew, asked if I wanted to go to the chow hall with him. It wasn't my usual routine, but I agreed. At chow, I asked how his language was going, what his plans were for the Army, and where he saw himself in a few years. We laughed and joked as we shared life stories. I then asked how his family was. He became silent, the smile gone. He put his fork down and looked away for a moment. Then he looked at me and said, "Well, one of my closest relatives was just released from prison. Unfortunately he got involved with his old life-style and this past weekend someone shot him in the back. He's paralyzed from the waist down." Wow. I sat back and sighed heavily at this ubrupt change in conversational tone. I let him continue talking about the great times they had when they were younger, all the while praying that the LORD would give me the words to say.
When he had finished, I started speaking, realizing that it was the Holy Spirit speaking, not myself. "So do you ever wonder what causes two people, with the same type of upbringing, to travel down completely different paths in life?" He had never thought of this before. His belief is that it's all random chance. That people don't have much control over their choices and that most of life is plotted out circumstancially. Our time was then cut short because he had to leave.
It is true that, as A.W. Tozer said, "God created the world in such a way that in the end, everyone gets exactly what he or she wanted."
It is also true that there is a hurting world out there in desperate need of someone to share the truth with them. I admit, I must be more bold in my faith, not backing down when the time comes, rather, standing firm on the Chief Cornerstone, the Author and Finisher of my faith.
The LORD is good and His mercies endure forever.
And for those of you wondering: Yes, when the light changed, I jumped to my feet and continued on my run, laughing all the way back to base.
Make Your ways known to me, LORD; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; I wait for you all day long.
~Psalm 25:4-5 (HCSB)
As most of you know, I run as a pastime. In fact, I have been putting in at least four miles a day, the latter part of the run usually being straight uphill. This past Saturday I was running through downtown Monterey, past the quaint shops smelling of fresh coffee, to the top of a few parking garages, and then past the flock of swans in El Estero Park; all this while I dodge old people strolling along the boardwalk. My usual routine when running through town is that when I get stopped by a traffic light, I get down and do push-ups until the light changes. On this particular day I was doing push-ups when I heard this loud *CRASH* behind me. I turned around to see that a small car accident had occured about four feet from where I was exercising. The person who was rear-ended (a woman of large proportions, not to be trifled with) decided that the accident was cause enough to put down the Big Mac she was consuming, and get out of her car to see what had happened. She steps out, holding in her other hand a large vanilla ice cream cone. The man who rear-ended her was an elderly Korean man, who by the sounds of things, couldn't speak a word of English. I haven't seen a funnier sight than these two strangers try to talk out their new problem together!
Every morning I ask the LORD to use me. To let me be a light to a dark world. To let my life count for something. With that prayer, I ask that He allow me to encounter who He wants me to during that particular day. Just as those two strangers in the intersection met, that's how I want the LORD to arrange my meetings with people. I'm not saying I want to get in accidents with people! But it has been amazing to see the people God brings across my path, if I'm willing to see them.
This evening someone on my floor, someone that I barely knew, asked if I wanted to go to the chow hall with him. It wasn't my usual routine, but I agreed. At chow, I asked how his language was going, what his plans were for the Army, and where he saw himself in a few years. We laughed and joked as we shared life stories. I then asked how his family was. He became silent, the smile gone. He put his fork down and looked away for a moment. Then he looked at me and said, "Well, one of my closest relatives was just released from prison. Unfortunately he got involved with his old life-style and this past weekend someone shot him in the back. He's paralyzed from the waist down." Wow. I sat back and sighed heavily at this ubrupt change in conversational tone. I let him continue talking about the great times they had when they were younger, all the while praying that the LORD would give me the words to say.
When he had finished, I started speaking, realizing that it was the Holy Spirit speaking, not myself. "So do you ever wonder what causes two people, with the same type of upbringing, to travel down completely different paths in life?" He had never thought of this before. His belief is that it's all random chance. That people don't have much control over their choices and that most of life is plotted out circumstancially. Our time was then cut short because he had to leave.
It is true that, as A.W. Tozer said, "God created the world in such a way that in the end, everyone gets exactly what he or she wanted."
It is also true that there is a hurting world out there in desperate need of someone to share the truth with them. I admit, I must be more bold in my faith, not backing down when the time comes, rather, standing firm on the Chief Cornerstone, the Author and Finisher of my faith.
The LORD is good and His mercies endure forever.
And for those of you wondering: Yes, when the light changed, I jumped to my feet and continued on my run, laughing all the way back to base.
Make Your ways known to me, LORD; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; I wait for you all day long.
~Psalm 25:4-5 (HCSB)
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