I was privileged to serve with a Sergeant First Class “Clifford Maldoon” in a nearby Army National Guard unit. Cliff had previously served as a Mortician’s Assistant, (not the correct military terminology) with the Regular Army during the Vietnam War.
Cliff was a “man’s man.” He was not only a fine, honorable man, but he prided himself in being the best soldier he could possibly be; in every sense of the word.
I will always remember his motto, or perhaps it would be better characterized as his “Military Motto.”
“Know Your Stuff.” (Well, he used a slightly different word).
“Take Care of Your People.”
“Be a Man.”
As long as I live and move and breathe on the earth, I will remember the phraseology which Sergeant Maldoon bequeathed to me, and the other members of my section.
“Know your Stuff”
In our day and age people, at least many people, do their best to just get by. They are content to be mediocre. Well, as a believer I can assure you, I think this kind of mindset is unacceptable; particular for leaders.
I have often told my counseling clients and interns, “There’s no substitute for information” (and) “You can never get enough information.” And I think many of my first-time clients probably think I “go overboard” when it comes to gathering information.
I mean, it is not unusual for me to extend my initial intake to include as many as three weekly sessions. I don’t feel I am adequate to help anyone, unless I understand the history and dynamics of an individual or couple.
I mean, there have literally been people who have lived, or died as the result of sufficient information, or the lack thereof.
How fortunate was the crew of Apollo 13 that they had a team of NASA experts working the dynamics of their ill-fated flight. Ultimately, the earth-bound scientists configured an ad-lib carbon dioxide scrubber, using materials which were available on the spacecraft, and, thus, the crew was guaranteed enough oxygen to last them; ‘til they could get back to the blue-green planet from whence they came.
Then again, among every six people who have attempted to climb Mt. Everest, one has died. And quite often, those who have passed away on this climb have not taken time to gather sufficient information about the conditions and rigors of this unforgiving mountain.
Literally dozens of bodies litter the slopes of Everest; some having lain along the snowy trails for decades. The “lucky” ones have been covered with a few rocks, and their names scratched into the surface.
Pt. 2
“Take Care of Your People”
The first persuasion which occurs to me, when I look at this phrase, is “Dying to Self.” Leaders always place the wellbeing of those whom God has placed in their charge above their own welfare. It is unconscionable to do otherwise.
In Matthew Chapter 16 Jesus said,
“If any man would be my disciple, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.”
Putting the needs of those whom God has placed in your care above your own requires you to deny yourself. I love Galatians 2:20.
“I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ lives in me. The life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”
Speaking of dying to self, there is a narrative which says it better than I ever could.
When you are forgotten, neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting or hurt with the oversight, but your heart is happy being counted worthy to suffer for Christ;
That is dying to
self.
When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinion ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence;
That is dying to
self.
That is dying to
self.
That is dying to
self.
That is dying to
self.
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and you are in desperate circumstances;
That is dying to
self.
When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit, inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart;
That is dying to
self.
Pt. 3
And I cannot move on to my friend’s final admonition without referencing a poem by the British missionary, Amy Carmichael, titled “No Scar?”
Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land;
I hear them hail thy bright, ascendant star.
Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers; spent,
Leaned Me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed Me, I swooned.
No wound? No Scar?
Yet, as the Master shall the servant be
And piercèd are the feet that follow Me.
But thine are whole; can he have followed far
Unless we are well on our way to dying to self, I
think we are prone to exalt self, and neglect those whom God has set in our
pathways.
Who has the Savior called you to impact? Who has our
Lord called you to lead, and role model the risen Christ before them? How and
in what way have you left an indelible impression on those in your own personal
environment?
Pt. 4
“Be a Man”
We live in an age of political correctness, and in a
culture in which some men are confused about who they are; much less what
gender they happen to be.
Embracing and living out the role of a man requires
us to exercise accountability to self. The first thing which occurs to me, when
I read the phrase, “Be a Man,” is the very common and nominal expectation that
a man will be honest at all times, and will gladly suffer loss, if it means
keeping his word.
I fall short many times and in many ways, but I am
determined to keep my word, and to accomplish anything I promise to do like
yesterday. From my perspective nothing speaks better of a man than he does what
he will says he will do, and as expeditiously as possible.
I long to be thought of as “a man’s man.”
A man’s man is someone other men look up to. He is a
person of character in public, and in private. When everyone is watching and
when no one is watching.
A man admits when he is wrong, when he has made a
bad decision, and when it is absolutely impossible to do what he promised to
do. A man role models positive attributes to his children and grandchildren. A
man treats everyone with respect, and is quick to forgive.
A man blazes the trail, and makes it easier for
others to follow. A man is a mentor and passes the mantle to those who follow
the steps he leaves behind. A man is cognizant of his words and actions, and
his influence on others.
A man is aware of the needs he has been granted the
wherewithal to fulfill. A real man is all about receiving a Heritage,
fulfilling a Destiny and leaving a Legacy.
by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright pendingIf you would like to copy, share or save, please include the credit line, above
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