As some of you may know, I served in the Marine Corps. I married a Marine. Talk to many veterans, and you often find our hearts lie with the branch we served in. There is usually good-natured (unfortunately, sometimes not so good-natured) banter and competitiveness between the branches; there are always "discussions" over who is the best, the toughest, the most important. While I respect all branches and everyone who serves, I believe some things distinguish the Marine Corps from the other branches, and many of these are similar to the Christian walk.
One such difference is pride. Few veterans have as much pride in their branch as the typical Marine has in the Marine Corps. Veterans should have pride in their service and their affiliated branch, and many do, but Marines seem to have much more pride in their service than other veterans. I believe this is because the Marine Corps begins instilling a sense of pride from the first day of boot camp. Pride in country, in Corps, and self. Pride becomes so engrained in Marines that if you talk to a Marine, it likely does not take long to learn that they are a Marine. I am not speaking of sinful or off-putting pride, that focuses on the individual, but rather a pride that is embodied. It’s a pride in the Marine Corps itself and what that means to those who hold the title. Marines tend to be "loud and proud." Beyond the self-identification, you can often tell a Marine by their demeanor, the way they walk, talk, and carry themselves. Further, a Marine retains their title after separation from the Corps; there are no "former" Marines.
Marine Corps and Christ: Pride
Being a Marine and having pride in the Marine Corps often reminds me of Christianity and our relationship with Christ. Devotion to Christ is more important than devotion to the Marine Corps; the Corps is part of who I am, but my identity, my salvation, come from God. Being a follower of Christ is who I am. Unfortunately, we Christians often treat our relationship with Christ as a small part of who we are rather than the whole of who we are. Too often, we go to church on Sunday, then dwell in the secular Monday through Saturday. Church is something we do, and then we return to our regular lives. So, why does the fact that we have been given eternal life, redeemed from our sins, not fill us with pride? Why is it so often the part of us that hangs in the background, the insignificant aspect of our lives? No one should be able to say of us that they do not know if we are followers of Christ; we should be proudly declaring it. This declaration should be twofold; we should tell others that we are Christ's followers, and our behavior should demonstrate this.
Marine Corps and Christ: Deconstructed and Reassembled
Another similarity between the Marine Corps and following Christ is the deconstruction and reassembly. When someone joins the Marine Corps, they are shipped off to boot camp. During these 13 weeks, the Marine Corps takes a civilian and undoes everything they have been taught to that point: how to live, work, think, behave, walk, talk, and so on. The Marine Corps tears the civilian down so they can remake the recruit into a Marine. The rebuild does not happen overnight; it takes several weeks before the work of drill instructors becomes evident. At the end of boot camp, come graduation day, the recruit is no longer a civilian; they are now a Marine. They have a new language. They have a new standard of how they dress, and for the most part, the new Marine stands taller, surer of who they are and their new identity than before. There is a noticeable difference in the Marine; it is undeniable to the family and friends who attend the graduation. The rebuild is also why Marines often have difficulty acclimating back to civilian society; they no longer fit in amongst civilians.
Similar is the process for believers when we accept Christ. We are reborn (John 3:3), made new (2 Cor. 5:17.) We go through the process of dying to self (Gal. 5:24); we shed off the worldliness and become Christlike. This shedding is the process of sanctification, wherein God strips us of our sinful natures and conforms us to His image (Ephes. 4:24.) Much like the Marine Corps does to civilians, God breaks us down so that we can be remade to be more like Him. Unfortunately, for many reasons, this change may not always be recognizable. We can accept Christ into our lives, but rather than allow Christ to change us, we stay where we are. It might be because of sinful nature, comfort with our former choices and lifestyle, disengagement from the church and other believers, lack of Biblical understanding, etc. Because of this, we do not experience the tremendous changes we could be experiencing.
Marine Corps and Christ: Multiple Gifts, One Body, One Mission
In addition to turning civilians into Marines, the Corps prepares Marines for combat. Upon graduation, Marines are quickly sent to combat training. First and foremost, every Marine is a rifleman. Every Marine is expected to be proficient with their rifle and ready for combat if the need arises. Despite having one mission,
each Marine is assigned a specific job, or military occupational specialty (MOS) –according to the needs of the Marine Corp. Your MOS is typically based on your area of interest and your natural strengths. After boot camp and combat training, you go through MOS training; before arriving at your assigned duty station, you have made it to the fleet. Here you begin your military career. The Marine Corps fosters a discipline of readiness, of
preparation, so that when Marines are needed, they are adequately trained. Each Marine has different strengths and a different job, but all are called to serve the same mission.
Similarly, Paul tells Christians to be prepared for battle by putting on the armor of God; Paul tells us this is necessary so that when the "evil one comes," we will be able to stand firm. For Christians, the question is not if but when the evil one will come; we must be prepared for the inevitable trials. We prepare by developing our spiritual disciplines; prayer, meditation, time in the word, etc.; by maturing in our faith; by growing in our sanctification. As with the Marine Corps, followers of Christ have Holy Spirit-given gifts. We use these God-given gifts from the onset of our career as believers once we accept Jesus as our savior. The idea is similar- we all have unique gifts and strengths to use in furthering God's kingdom. However, we all work for the same mission.
Recognizing our weaknesses
The Marine Corps begins instilling initiative, self-awareness, and leadership from the moment recruits arrive at boot camp. One of the things I was taught while in boot camp from a senior enlisted Marine was that if you have two Marines, one is in charge; the point was that someone must show initiative and take charge. Moreover, the Marine instills self-awareness by teaching Marines to be aware of their strengths and weaknesses; knowing your weaknesses allows Marines to improve in the areas they need to. In the Marine Corps, this was known as "know self, seek self-improvement." This can be antithetical to what the world teaches; often, our society tells us to focus on our strengths while not addressing our weaknesses. Our society seems to think that being aware of our shortcomings is terrible. However, honest self-assessment allows us to improve; it strengthens us, thereby making us more effective warfighters.
So it is with our relationship with Christ; we must be aware of shortcomings or sin so that we can rid ourselves of our sin. Blissful ignorance or outright denial of our weaknesses may prevent us from bruising our egos or experiencing the discomfort of confronting our sin, but it does us no good in our walk with Christ. By avoiding honest introspection, by not allowing God to show us our sin, we allow the sin to continue its stronghold in our lives.
It cannot be forced; it must be chosen.
It is always neat to see the connection that different parts of our lives have. Ten years ago, when I got out of the Marine Corps, I never would have imagined going to school for apologetics, working in missions, or being in a support-funded missionary. Thankfully, God had a plan that He worked and implemented over years in my life. Being in the Marine Corps prepared me a lot for my Christian walk, and I hope seeing the connection can encourage you to challenge yourself as a Christian to have pride in Christ, to recognize your own gifts, to work on your struggles, and to allow yourself to be deconstructed[1] and reconstructed for His glory. The Marine Corps almost "forces" people to make the changes the Corps desires. Some people fight it, and they struggle with their time in the Corps. The same can be with Christians. God does not force us to make changes, however. It must be a choice on our part. It must be intentional. If you have found that you are not intentional, here are a couple of suggestions parents can implement for themselves and work on with their children as well:
1. Find a mentor. Share your struggles with someone you trust who has struggled with your struggles and seek wisdom and support.
2. Look at the different spiritual disciplines and identify where you could improve. Work on one at a time. Do not overload yourself or try too many at once.
3. Find ways to serve your church. If you are not connected to a church, get connected. You can find mentorship, community, and service opportunities. Getting connected and serving in the church will not only allow you to give to others, but you will be amazed at what you will glean as well.
[1] There is a new phenomenon within Christianity that involves Christians “deconstructing” their faith. That is not what I am talking about in this instance. Here, I am advocating for allowing the Holy Spirit to strip us of our fallen nature & rebuild us to be Christlike.
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