In the Army Now
It's time to stop talking about 'the Army' as if it has power to change itself. The more I talk to people about 'the Army', the more I realize that we have to take the plank out of our own eye. Here are some common misconceptions about 'the army".
1) The army makes me wear a uniform - No. As with every other morning of the week, Sunday morning you may choose to wear a lovely chiffon outfit - or a form-fitting black polyester outfit. Either way, your daily woredrobe is a choice.
2) The army overextends (e.g. burns-out) it's congregants (e.g. soldiers) - No. Corps Officers may ask us to do any number of things. Our congregations may lean pretty heavily on 3 or 4 people to do 95% of the work. But we can say, "No." Granted, it may mean that people won't like us - but that's an isolated people problem. It's not an Army problem.
3) The army wants me to never drink alcohol - No. If you're a soldier or an officer, yes, but only because you promised God that you wouldn't.
4) The army wants me to make life-long promises to it and to God at 14 years old - No. The army allows you to make those promises beginning a 14 years old (or 7 for Junior Soldiers), but corps officers and parents, along with the kids, should be the ones to decided when you can 'enlist'.
The Articles of WAR is NOT a membership agreement, or guidelines, our some cushy country-club contract. I'm not entirely sure when it became that. When the the term war become so laxodasical? Yeah, it IS a big deal - and I would ask parents, and corps officers, and youth group leaders, and brothers and sisters to make sure that the people in their realms are NOT being prematurely ushered into somethey they don't understand. It's definitely a big deal. That's the whole point.
It goes back to what I keep saying about choices. We choose each day whom we will serve, and each action speaks of that choice. We can also choose to live under the expectations of people or of God.
I'm in the Army now. I'm not a sunday morning conventionist. There are enough of those - not saying it's wrong - it's just not Army style. If God is calling you to to a traditional church - I pray you find the best one. I chose the Army. I continue to choose the Army. I'm trying to choose to not complain about what I've agreed to.
Grace.
3 comments:
good stuff, Des.
Des: Good stuff, man. I agree that the "over -extension" of soldiers (and non-soldiers)in the army is a "people" problem... not an army problem. I've said it before, and I'll say it again- 20% of us are doing 80% of the work- and that's in ANY church.
I became a soldier in the Salvation Army 5 months ago at the age of 23. I think that people are too eager,sometimes, to enroll their kids as soldiers without stressing to the kids the importance of what they are committing too- it's a COVENANT.
I know two or three soldiers who look back, now, and say- "I'm not sure I knew what I was doing when I enrolled" or "my dad (or whoever) handed me the articles of war and said 'do you understand this?' Ok... go ahead and sign it."
I'm proud to have joined as an adult... means a lot to me. I enrolled on my own accord- not because someone shoved me into it so I could play in the band.
Daniel
thanks, des. taking those words to heart.
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