Saturday, July 3, 2010

ODS #4: "Accelerate Your Life"


The lazy will not survive in the Navy (or Marine Corps).* Everything about the environment pushes you to perform and produce. I used to think I was so unproductive because I was so unorganized. But now I realize that I was unproductive because I was lazy. ODS (at least the first 3 weeks) has activity for every minute of the day (minus 4-5 hours for sleeping - if you are not on duty) and when there is down time you feel restless because you know you can still be doing something and there is always something that needs doing.
I have never been surrounded by so many driven people in my life than at ODS. Not in the church. Not in chaplaincy school. Not at Bible college.
What drives these people is as varied as the paths that brought them to this frozen outpost on edge of the Newport Harbor. But whether compelled by something outside of themselves or propelled by some deep inner strength, they are determined to find a door when everyone else sees only a wall. They are determined to live up to the commission of Naval Officer that they have been given.

How much more should those who have received the commission of ambassador of Jesus and the right to be called a child of God through Christ Jesus be driven to spend our lives for His glory and the good of a desperately lost world?

Not everyone has to join the military to repent of laziness, but I did and I hope it sticks.


*since originally writing this in ODS I have found exceptions to this rule. However I think my standards of laziness have changed since joining the Navy, so I still stand by my above statement when using a general (civilian) definition of laziness.

1 comment:

  1. I was just thinking/realizing the same thing re: laziness and productivity. When it comes right down to it... what ARE my priorities anyhow? And would someone watching me be able to guess accurately??? Probably not. Rather, probably, and those priorities would look nothing like what I claim my true priorities are. *sigh*

    beck of http://superbeck.com

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