"For most, the Crucible will be the first time they reach the limits of their mental, physical, and emotional endurance. They will know that they are capable of much more than they previously believed."
We are praying for Justin, his squad, his entire platoon. We believe that these young men will endure, will encourage and support one another to the end. It is the goal they have trained for, what has driven them to continue and not give in through all the hardships and "suffering." A favored term used by Marines is "PAIN is weakness leaving the body." So one would have to believe that these recruits have gotten rid of a wagon load of weaknesses during the last 12 weeks. (or more, for those who were sidetracked, like Justin, who came down with pneumonia his second week there.)
Upon completion of the Crucible, they will have crossed the finish line of their journey on Parris Island. They will have earned, and earned well...that coveted title, and received that long awaited for Pin.
We look forward to hearing from Justin on Sunday.
My second son Jonny is about to become a high school graduate. After being schooled at home under mom for such a long time, I'm sure he's Hoorahing this finish line big-time! He did attend CPCC this past year and enjoyed getting into a College environment. :-)
So when Justin finally gets done and receives his well earned 10 day break, we will have a lot of celebrating to do for these young men and the milestones they have achieved.
“The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given tests that teach you lessons.” (T. Bodett)
The quote above is truly an understatement. It is the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is gained from the pursuit of instruction and education. Wisdom is gained from a humble spirit that is teachable. Wisdom is received from living long years of life, experiencing all that it throws your way, and learning from your mistakes. It is a gift that is endowed from God above.
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding." (Ps. 111:10)
"Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold>" (Prov. 3:13-14)
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5)
This mom's prayer is that all 4 of my children will love the Lord, make knowing HIM their personal goal and pursuit in life, and understand that wisdom is to be sought above knowledge and "happiness." I pray that they will not be self-seeking, self-serving adults, but live to give honor and glory to God as they pursue the better and higher portions of a life with Him.
And today I think of my husband who is once again in another transition of his career. The last I wrote, he was taking on a new "day" position, leaving night shifts behind. YES! He was given a choice of two locations. We prayed and he chose what he felt God was leading him to pursue. Then in an unexpected moment, he was called 2 weeks later, and asked if he might consider taking the position at the other location. He considered, we prayed once again, claiming Proverbs 2 for wisdom and for God to lead him, and this week he began anew at the 2nd location offer.
We believe that God worked all of this winding path in His will and good timing to continue to build up our faith and our hope that He is watching out for our BEST, and that He cares about Kurt's assurance and confidence in his career path. It was an awesome gift for Kurt to get a taste of both positions offered to him, that he might be even more sure that his steps are being ordered by the Lord, that God is making all things good.
We love the Lord. Today we acknowledge that He is our God, our awesome God, and that those whose hearts are bent to please Him, who seek to live their lives out for Him are rewarded in due time. God is good ALL the time. Good times and Tough times. In the tough times of life's testings, we are stretched, being taught eternal lessons about ourselves and our powerful, all-sufficient God. He is all that we need for whatever comes our way.
God is enough. All that we have in HIM is more than enough!
Blessings,
No comments:
Post a Comment