United States Marine Corps: Letting Go and Letting God

Today has been such a bittersweet day.  Now a young man, my not-so-little brother left for Marine boot camp.  Last night, the entire family came over to say their goodbyes and spend time in prayer with Zach.  As my teary-eyed family sat gathered in the living room and passed around the Kleenex box, I was overwhelmed by the love and care within our family.  I truly do not know any other family where cousins are best friends and aunts and uncles are seen as second parents.  

As we each went around and lifted Zach up to the Lord in prayer, I was overcome with an incredible sense of awe and peace at God's mercy upon our family.  Yes, we will all miss Zach terribly.  Yes, I selfishly want to keep Zach here away from screaming drill sergeants.  Yes, for my own peace of mind I want him to stay close to home.  Yes, I want the freedom to know that he is only a phone call away.  These are all things that I feel as Zach's sister.  And yet, I along with everyone else in the family can send Zach off in the confidence that he is in the Lord's hands.

Zach has always been my little brother, my goofy sidekick, my protector, my friend.  I guess there is a part of me that fears this will change--that somehow all this will cease now that he is becoming a Marine.  And yet, in spite of it all, I take comfort in knowing that the Lord has so clearly led Zach to the Marines.  This is the Lord's will for Zach, and Zach has honored Him in pursuing it.   God has granted Zach the unique gifts and the passion to make him suited for the Marines, and because the Lord has called him there, the Marines are the safest place for Zach to be.  Not here.  Not close to home and near family, but in the Marines, in the will of the Lord.

While it is difficult to accept that the Lord has called Zach away, there is also something exciting in this, for whenever and wherever the Lord calls someone, He is faithful to equip and sustain them.  I am learning that we are not called because we are somehow able or adequate for the given job, but rather God makes us able because He has called us to a particular job.   And I trust that the Lord will be faithful to equip Zach for all He has for him in the Marines!

As I’ve been thinking throughout the day, I believe one may find many parallels between Marine boot camp and the Christian walk.   Here are a few:

In boot camp, Zach will be treated harshly and the instructions he receives are meant to cause him to abandon his old habits.  Likewise, a call to faith is a call to cast off our old selves.  To become Christlike, we must abandon our sinful and base fleshly desires and die to ourselves.  And like bootcamp, this is no easy task.  We are not able to change in and of ourselves.  Rather, we need someone outside of ourselves to enter into our lives and take on the tedious task of teaching and training us as to what we are to become.  In bootcamp, this is clearly seen in the overseeing officers and drill sergeants.  In Christianity, I think we see this in two ways.  First, man was so helpless to save himself that it required the death of Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the grave to restore us into a right relationship with our Heavenly Father.  Secondly, while Christ is the ultimate example and authority, He also uses those within His body of followers to raise up and train the younger generations.  My prayer is that the Lord will bring Godly men into Zach’s life, men who can hold Zach accountable by challenging and encourage him in his personal walk with Christ.

Zach will also face all sorts of challenging obstacles in boot camp.  These challenges will be both physical and mental, each uniquely designed to transform him into a Marine.   Just as the challenges of boot camp are specifically designed with some greater end purpose in mind (the making of a Marine), so too does God place particular obstacles and trials in our lives to shape and mold us into Christ-like men and women whose hearts and passion are increasingly for Him and His glory.  God is committed to our sanctification, and because He intimately knows each of our hearts, He knows exactly what fiery trials will consume the dross within our hearts and refine us to Him.   And because He loves us, He will lead us along those paths.  Just like boot camp, He has specifically designed all the trials we encounter to draw us close to Himself and make us more into the glorious beings He intended us to be.

Also, it is not a matter of if Zach will make mistakes during boot camp.  He certainly will.  It is merely a matter of when.  And so, when that time comes and Zach fails during boot camp, he will almost definitely be ridiculed and humiliated into shame by his officers.  But he will stand and take the harsh criticisms, for he knows that in the end, the current hard circumstances are necessary if he wants to leave his boyishness behind and become the Marine he is designed to be.   Likewise, no Christian is perfect, and although we are daily being sanctified, we still bear our sinful natures and will carry this with us until the day we die.  There is one difference, however.  As a Christian, Zach knows not only who he is, but Whose he is.  And because of Who Zach bases his identity on, his self-worth cannot be determined by those around him.  Not by me, not by screaming officers.  Zach is Christ’s, and Christ is his. 

The last parallel is this.  Once Zach graduates from boot camp, he will always be a United States Marine.  In fact, I’ve learned that there is no such thing as an “ex-Marine”.  While Marines are known by their uniforms, they are still set apart and respected as Marines even if their uniform is taken away.  The Marine Corps automatically makes Zach different and set apart from other men.  Others will know him by this. And what is more, Zach will not forget who he now is.  As a United States Marine, Zach will be pushed and trained to become disciplined in both mind and body so as to meet both the physical and mental demands of training and live combat.  All in all, as a Marine, whether in uniform or out, he is expected to demonstrate his identity in both his character and behavior.  But Zach will never be a United States Marine first and foremost.  My prayer is that above all,  even the Marines, Zach will be a man of God.  Zach is a Christian.  And just as he will be known by others as a Marine, my prayer is that this will come second to being known as an upright and dedicated servant and follower of Christ.  All Christians belong to Christ, and therefore Zach belongs to Christ.  May this always be so, and may he never forget WHOSE he is!!

And so, I know that Zach's heart and genuine passion is to serve the Lord and bring glory to Him by reflecting Christ in his life.  In all honesty, the roughness of the Marines scares me, and I feel frightened for Zachary.  But I believe wholeheartedly that the Lord will not abandon Zach, and that for His own great Name's sake He will be faithful to not forsake Zach.  Because I firmly believe that God is faithful to uphold his promises, I am free to joyfully surrender Zach to the Lord's good care.  Yes, it is hard to see him go, but I believe and pray that Zach will be a powerful tool for radiating Christ's glory and bringing others to Christ.  We need strong, committed, noble, humbly confident, Christian men in our armed forces.  Men who are great leaders.  Men who are so committed to their duty and yet so radical in their love and selfless service to others that their fellow servicemen cannot help but be drawn to them and transformed through them.   My prayer is that my little brother will be such a man.  Man of God first.  Marine second. 

Who are you?  And even more importantly, Whose are you?