It's not fair!

I was thinking about the Marine Corp. this morning while I was drying my hair.  I know, weird, huh?  But what else do you have to think about while you're completing this menial boring task?  I have just a little knowledge on the subject because my youngest son-in-law, Aaron, is a Marine.  We learned a little about how the Marines think when he went to boot camp.  The Marine's boot camp is the toughest one in the Armed Forces (Sorry if you belonged to another branch, this is just what the Marines say, lol).  The truth is, though, that it is the longest boot camp and also if you decide to enlist in another branch of the service you don't have to go back through boot camp.  If you are in the Army, Air Force or Navy and decide to become a Marine you have to go through Marine Boot Camp.  So, I think that's a pretty good argument for it being the toughest camp, haha. 

My point, though, is that during boot camp you loose your personal identity.  You are no longer "one" you are the team.  Everything you do, you do as a team.  You eat, sleep, exercise, shower, pee and poo together.  And guess what?  If one of you messes up, the whole unit is punished.  I don't care if you weren't even in the vicinity when one of your team members messed up - you get punished right along with everyone else.  During this intense training you are being taught to trust your leader without question.  He is operating for the good of the team.

In February Aaron was deployed with his Unit.  The "team" concept continues to operate!  If one of the guys went out during a "free" week-end and did something stupid, there was a strong possibility that all of them would lose their liberty for the rest of the week.  There have been times when I have been tempted to think "that's not fair!  Why should Aaron be punished because of some knot heads that went out and got drunk, high, whatever, and tore up a hotel room, or jumped out a window and broke a leg?"   

Well, I think the Holy Spirit shined the light on that question this morning.  The goal of boot camp is to become a team.  It is critical when you are in the heat of the battle that you do not think like an individual.  You MUST think like a team, move like a team, be a team in order to survive.  You cannot think on your own or question why an order has been given - you must obey - even when it does not seem logical or make sense, or seem fair.  You do not have the luxury of acting on your own - your actions may cause other people to die.  There is a "code of honor" among servicemen - no one left behind.  That is why they bring back a fallen solider's body - that is why they risk their own lives to rescue the wounded.

What does this have to do with us, you may ask?  Glad you asked!  As the Body of  Christ, we must develop a "team" concept.  We are not an island unto ourselves.  Contrary to what we like to think, our actions do affect others.  Everything I do, everything I say, every choice I make affects the entire Body of Christ.  If you were at the Ladies PrimeTime Event Friday night, you know that I spoke on the "3 C's."  Why must we be people of character, commitment and consistency?  Because it affects the rest of the team!  We must learn to think like a team, move like a team, be a team in order to be the glorious Church that God intends us to be.  

So when life doesn't seem fair (which it never is) and decisions that your leaders make don't make sense, circumstances are not what you thought they should be and things didn't happen like you expected - just say "I trust you God."  My trust is not based on my understanding.  It is based on who God is, His nature, His character, His love.  So let's buckle down, get through this boot camp, and be the glorious Church God is calling us to be.

I'll leave you with this scripture for thought:  Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths."

Be blessed today!