What Are You Looking For

It was not a picnic. Nor was it a piece of cake. It happened one evening. During a welcome to the military supper for recruits and their families. Our son was treated to what would become a familiar happening over the next few weeks.

I don't think afterwards he could have gone to his recruiter and said, I'm rethinking this enlistment idea. I don't think that idea crossed his mind, but if it had been me...I just might have thought about it.

The meal was fine and the speaking was fine. Then they called out the new recruits. And the drill sergeants began to drill. Disclaimer here, I'm not sure if they were or are called drill sergeants, but ya'll know what we're describing here.

The men in charge of moving the boys who would become men. That's the only way I can describe it. My son was eighteen at the time, medium height, light of weight.

Knowing he would get a major hair cut he had let his hair grow a bit longer than normal. Perhaps not long, but definitely more hair than he would soon have in a few weeks.

The Instructors voices echoed in the room with a tin roof. The young men who had never been in a similar situation, were supposed to make three lines. In no uncertain terms.

At one point the drill instructor in his loud no nonsense voice says to my son who is trying to determine where the row is and where it's going, "What you lookin' at boy!"

My son, being wise beyond his years at that moment didn't reply, just looked forward instead of sideways. Later however, when we were on our way home, some of us tried to give him pointers on 'how to get in trouble without really trying'.

We came up with what he should have said was, "Anything I want to...Sir!"

I think that is something that goes under the things you should never say to your Drill Instructor.

That's close, right up there with my Adorable Cousin's husband's reply. He's a young kid from Arkansas who had been visiting his cousin in Chicago. On the spur of the moment they decided to enlist.

Adorable husband makes it all the way through the preliminary enlistment and he's back down South at a boot camp. The Drill Instructors are loudly raking these Chicago boys up one side and down the other.

One Instructor, after their long diatribe says to the new recruits, 'Are any of you gettin' tired of this?' And Adorable Cousin's husband raises his hand. 'I am,' he says.

As they're dragging him off toward some building, he's protesting his innocence. They realize he isn't from Chicago from his Arkansas accent, and they stop. "Where you from, boy?" "Ar-kan-saw..."

"We're goin' back over there to that line. You get in it and shut up. We don't want to hear nothin' more out of you!"

What are you looking for? Most people don't really know in specific terms what they are looking for. Many don't even know what they are looking at. They become distracted by what's going on around them. And many are in denial as to what will make them whole.

2 Corinthians 5:15 "and he died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again. 16) Wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh: even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more. 17) Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. 18) But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation;"