General

Thoughts on Surrender

I’ve been to the national marine museum twice.  The museum is run by mostly volunteer war veterans.   My favorite part of the museum is the Iwo Jima exhibit.  One man that guides that part of the tour is a WWII vet whose company stormed the shores of Iwo Jima.  He is passionate.  His story is compelling.  The stats are bleak.   A high proportion of young guys died… and they knew they would.  Yet they stormed the shores and took this strategic island.

Each time I visit this museum, I’m convicted by how our faith needs to be like the transformation that happens to an 18 year old marine recruit.   “Semper Fidelis”  (always faithful) is the Marine motto.  But it’s far more than a motto.  It’s a core principle.   A value that has profound implications.   Interesting that “always faithful” would serve as the core foundation to unite men in a wide range of missions; missions that often lead these young men to their death.

Their training, equipment and strength are all important. But it’s the surrender to a core value of “Semper Fidelis” that enables these young rebellious kids to be transformed in weeks into highly disciplined and focused individuals who are willing to die for their cause.

In my personal devotions of late, I keep being brought back to “transformation” happening at the intersection of where our mission (living sent) grows out of our surrender (we submit or yield to Jesus as an act of surrender AND we live sent on mission as what we do in the context of surrender).   The disciples spent 3 years working on the surrender to fully prepare for the mission (to be sent).

As I listed to the WWII vet describe his own journey of joining the marines and becoming part of that “surrendered community” AND then the description of the Iwo Jima mission these young boys were destined for, its pretty convicting.   Without the “Semper Fidelis” there is no way the Iwo Jima mission is successful.  How could young boys willingly give up their lives on a mission that killed so many?  Because the mission grows out of the surrender!  Take away the surrender and the mission is a failure.   OR…successful mission (which is what we visibly in the church normally want to focus on…the 10% above the waterline of the iceberg) is actually rooted in the health of the foundation (the surrender…the portion of iceberg below waterline).

How is our “Semper Fidelis”?

© 2010 Envisaging.