Commitment: Episode 1

37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37 English Standard Version

I shipped out to Army Basic Training in February of 1981…eons ago. I arrived at the Fort Leonard-Wood Reception Station wide-eyed and totally unprepared for what faced me. Most of my male relatives had served in the military, my maternal grandfather served as an artilleryman in WW I. They all had small chestnuts of wisdom to toss my way. They all really boiled down to, keep your mouth shut, do what you’re told, and never volunteer. My Combat Engineer grandfather, a WW II vet, also said, “Make sure your boots fit properly. You’ll spend a lot of time with them.” At any rate, basic training soon swallowed me up with learning all the new skills required of a soldier.

In 1981 for the first six weeks or so of basic training, we were under what they called, “total-control.” There were no such things as cell phones then. We were banned from consuming any alcohol or tobacco products. Unfortunately at that time, I smoked two packs a day. Quitting cold turkey was not easy, but they kept us quite busy, so I didn’t really feel withdrawal pangs. We were not allowed any radios, newspapers, or magazines. During this time, we could only do what they told us to do when they told us to do it. Since they kept us busy with learning the multitude of soldier tasks, we did not have time to worry or complain about our circumstances. Then, about four to six weeks into our basic training cycle came the fateful day. 

Shortly after chow, just as we were getting ready to start a block of instruction on employing the claymore mine, the company commander showed up. I think this was the first time I’d seen our company commander. He and our drill sergeants huddled for a few moments while we waited. After he left, our drill sergeants formed us up and marched us over to the theater where we were joined by the rest of the company. We moved inside and took our seats and waited, and waited, and waited. Eventually the 1SG called us to attention and the Company Commander walked on stage. After the order of, “Take…seats!” He strolled to the middle of the stage and read a set of orders.

The United States had gone to war in Central America. Our previous orders were amended. If we had follow-on schools, they were canceled. We were all going to be 12Bs, Combat Engineers. A-5-3 would be redesignated as a Combat Engineer company and once training was complete, we would join ongoing combat operations in Central America. We sat there in stunned silence. For some, those already destined for the 12B MOS, this was not too hard to understand. For others, with a different MOS, this was not good news. For those heading to USAR or NG units this was very bad news. For me, a USAR soldier with no really good job to head back to, this was not unwelcome news. Being young and bulletproof, this sounded like a big adventure. Later deployments to combat operations would teach me how wrong I was, but then I didn’t know any better. Before we could get too worked up, they formed us up outside the theater and marched us back to the training site.

For the rest of the day, we moved through our training in a haze. Our drill sergeants urged us to stay focused as we would need these skills in the upcoming weeks and months. Some were quite upset as this radically changed their future and spoke of calling their units to plead their case. Even those unphased by the order ambled through the day with a thoughtful faraway look. The news truly rocked a couple of us who spoke darkly of “going over the hill.” Our drills applied many rounds of extra pushups to try and keep us focused on the task at hand. Eventually the training over, we headed back to the company area and chow. Along the way, we detoured into the same theater.

We went through the same ritual of attention and take seats. Then the Commander dropped a bombshell, the previous announcement was a hoax. There was no war. There were no amended orders. The entire day was an exercise, a drill, in understanding the meaning of our commitment. The company leadership just wanted to impress on our young, self-centered, minds how full and complete the level of commitment to service in the Army required and what the line “needs of the Army,” in our orders really meant. None of us, including myself, had really thought this through. Admittedly deep inside, I was relieved; but, the experience taught me a great lesson about commitment and what it meant.

2 If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. Numbers 30:2

We live in a cultural milieu which does not value commitment. We place great value on self-fulfillment. If something gets in our way, we either avoid it or dispose of it. Many consider marriage a temporary thing; something we can dispose of or annul once the relationship grows inconvenient or requires hard work. Commitment, any commitment, requires hard work. We must choose, and often we must choose to put something above our self-interest. Commitment requires personal sacrifice. In the previous passage, the Lord, through Moses, lays out what He expected of the children of Israel. Jesus expands upon this in the gospel of Luke.

62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62 

God expects us to honor our commitments. He looks for men and women who unswervingly devote themselves to Him. Like the Army, He wants total dedication. Fortunately for us, through Jesus, He understands our weaknesses and works with us. And like the Army, He brings us along step by step. For the next three weeks, I want to explore the concept of commitment to the Lord and how it unfolds in three discrete arenas of our life: our marriage and family, our church (the body), and perhaps most importantly the Lord. I hope that these explorations of commitment, especially in a cultural milieu which disdains commitment, will be helpful. 

Thought Questions:

1. What things in your life are you committed to?

2. What is the  most important commitment you have and why?

3. What makes it hard for us to keep our commitments?

4. How would it change your life if you were better at keeping your commitments?

5. How would it change our community if we were better at keeping our commitments?