Wiser and Happier: Special Military Edition from Time of GraceSample

Waking Up: Remember what you were

There are some bad boys out there who have forgotten about their quadruple bypass operation and are eating fat-fried food again. There are some bad girls who have forgotten about their emphysema and have started smoking again. There are some reckless diabetics who are careless with their insulin injections. Such people apparently have lost their fear of--and respect for--their diseases.

A military man or woman also must remain at constant vigil against these twin enemies: carelessness and forgetfulness. A patrol performed carelessly, a mission objective forgotten--these are recipes for disaster. To counter such lapses in judgment, soldiers remember their training and their briefings. Sailors and marines hearken back to long hours spent in drills and formations. That preparation leads to quick reflexes and proper, measured reactions when dangerous situations arise. And who knows when such situations might present themselves?

A real danger for people who have been Christians for a while is that they grow sleepy and careless in their security. They become easy prey for Satan and his temptations. They forget who they were and where they came from. They have lost their shock and awe at the fearful wrath of God on all evil. “The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked” (Proverbs 3:33).

Part of our ongoing training as Christians is going back again and again to the basics of our faith. We all need to remember the terrible punishment that our Savior Jesus Christ absorbed for our sake on the cross. We all need to re-appreciate how expensive the forgiveness is that he bought for us there. We all need to respect and fear our enemy from hell. We all need to reaffirm our gratitude for Word and sacrament, which bond us to Christ now and forever. Lord, wake us.