Earning It

I have previously mentioned the men whom I regard as my spiritual fathers. Rev. William Kirschke and Jerry Triemstra. In a phrase, William preached the sermon, and Jerry prayed the prayer.

Not a day goes by that I do not think of them.

But they not forgotten. (With tears in my eyes); never forgotten.

In the movie, “Saving Private Ryan,” a fictional account from WWII, a Captain Miller is given the mission of locating, you guessed it, Private Ryan, and assuring that he is returned safely to the United States. (For those of you who have seen the film, you’re aware that several of Ryan’s brothers have died in combat, and he is the sole surviving son).

Sadly, as the movie winds its way along, Captain Miller succumbs to a bullet, mortar or grenade, and as Private Ryan kneels next to him, the captain admonishes him in whispered, but emphatic tones,

…”Earn it. Earn it!”

And as the saga concludes we witness an old man, as he shuffles along a dusty pathway leading through the cemetery at Normandy; his wife and grown children walking just behind him. And his quest continues. Walking between row upon row of headstones, he pauses now before a cross, comparable to thousands upon thousands of others like it; save for the name etched into the fine white marble.

He stands staring down at the gravesite of his rescuer, and tears form in his old eyes, and with trembling lips, he manages a few words.

“Captain, I’ve lived my life the best I could. And I’ve never forgotten what you said   to me that day. I hope in your eyes,

… I’ve earned it.”

And when no voice, no word wafts along the freshening breeze, the aged Private Ryan turns to his wife, and pleadingly asks,

“Have I lived a good life?”

To which his loving and devoted wife responds,

“Yes. Yes! Of course you have. You have lived a very good life.”

And in essence, I am that Private Ryan. And all the other millions upon millions of rescued souls who live, and move, and breathe upon the earth today might also claim the same title and surname.

For it is given to us to remember, and to ask that question again,

… Have I earned it?

Not a day goes by that I forget to thank God for these spiritual giants, my spiritual fathers; upon whose shoulders I stand.

And I don’t want to let them down.

I am determined to earn it. To do what I can. To make a difference with my life. To intervene in the lives of those whom God entrusts to my care.

For so like Private Ryan, as he approaches the final resting place of the man who salvaged his life, and stands in the good captain’s presence one last time, I will meet William and Jerry again. And I do not want to be ashamed in their presence, nor bow my head in regret.

“If I can help somebody as I travel along. If I can help somebody with a word or a song. If I can help somebody as I travel along, then my living shall not be in vain.”

 

By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 10