Words of Wisdom

Last week I took a few days to visit my kids in Virginia. Josey and I took my grandson for an afternoon, and decided we would go to the new Marine Corps Museum (www.usmcmuseum.com) at Quantico. It actually opened a few years ago while I still lived there, but I never got around to visit it. I passed it every Thursday morning as I went on base for a Bible study, but never stopped in until now.

Something I heard there really stuck with me as I listened to a video of an old WWII veteran. He served in the infantry (a foot-soldier on the front lines) and was telling about a particular time when his company was fighting a very tough battle. He said they were low on food and ammunition, and they feared for their lives. And then he said something profound. He said, "But we did what we had been trained to do, we moved toward the sound of enemy gunfire."
WOW, can you imagine?

As I have given that more thought, it dawned on me that there is great wisdom in those words. Not just for warfare, but for life itself. Not many people I have known would square off with formidable opposition. And I confess it would not be my first inclination. But what a difference it would make if we all disciplined ourselves to move toward the challenges in life - as these Marines moved toward opposing forces. What courage! What bravery! What guts! What heroes!