Ready For Inspection!

 Ready for Inspection

“Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” Mark 13:35-37

I am completing my second week here in Newport, Rhode Island in the Navy’s Officer Development School. My 105 classmates are Staff Corps Officers that include Doctors, Nurses, Dentists, Lawyers, Engineers, Chaplains, and various other disciplines. These first two weeks would be what one could consider tense, stressful, and very challenging. The sleep deprivation alone will get to you after 3 to 4 days (av. 4 hrs. per night) but as a special added bonus we get a specially trained Chief Petty Officer who love to speak to you with a slightly elevated voice and who specialize in finding your physical weakness and exploiting it. The first morning of training (4am) we awoke to a cranky Chief Petty Officer banging a trash can in the hallway and screaming at the top of his lungs “get up, get up, GET UP! We were then taken down two flights of stairs to an empty hallway were our physical “character building” began! It was a bit like doing the P90X workout after being startled awake by a plane crashing into the house next door!

Needless to say, our first taste of Newport was not exactly peace and tranquility that some had perhaps expected for dignified Naval Officers. The distinct impression was left upon us that morning that this same wonderful experience could happen to us at any time, in any place, and for any length of time if we failed to comply with every command immediately. Incidentally, some of those commands were foreign to us because we did not yet understand the terminology or the substance of the command. This small fact was apparently not relevant and frequent physical thrashing was experienced by me and my 105 closest friends. (You become very well acquainted with your neighbors when you spend so much time next to them doing pushups or jogging in place!)

Another added joy was the tossing of our dorm rooms. By tossing I mean tossing…literally! Our beds, bedding, clothing…all tossed in the center of the room! If your room was not spotless (a technical term for dust, lint, and microscopic particles) at all times, bed made perfectly with sheets and bedspread tighter than a trampoline and 45 degree angles, and all stuff locked in your locker, then your room would be tossed! Apparently no one has been able to meet this expectation consistently. My bed incidentally, was so tight that one night when I tried to lie down it bounced my right back up on my feet (slight exaggeration) and yet I was tossed!

Then there is the “Rose Garden” which is apparently the Chief’s “happy place.” The Rose Garden is not a rose garden at all. In fact, I am fairly confident there has never been a rose anywhere near this field of torture and pain. The Rose Garden is a large sand pit behind our barracks overlooking the Newport bay where we receive “instruction” when we have failed to comply with orders. It is a place of joy and one can almost hear the evil laughter echoing through the Chief’s mind as the thrashing commences. As you might imagine, there has been a mild level of anxiety in our ranks. The knowledge that at any time you may encounter an angry, slightly over caffeinated Chief with a keen ability to detect fear has been enough to keep us all a bit on edge.

After the first inspection in our Khaki uniform, we actually faired pretty well. After all the anxiety leading up to this inspection most were extremely relieved to be done with this monumental task and many were even feeling a bit bold and confident. Some of the fear wore off for a few days and the purpose in our step waned a bit. Where only a week prior we would sprint to every place we were to be and double, triple, and quadruple check everything we did, now we were meandering as though on a brisk walk. We were quickly becoming unintentional in our ways. This fact did not go unnoticed by the all seeing eye of the Chief! (This is what led us to discover the Rose Garden) There was a sense of complacency that set in for several days.

The same thing happens to us as members of the Body of Christ. We think at some point that we have this Christianity thing figured out and we begin to let our guard down. Rather than instant obedience to what we know God expects of us, we slack off. We don’t read our bible as often or pray regularly. We get caught up in the cares of life and stop attending church regularly. We may even get to a point where there is little about our life that would give the impression that we are a Christian. It is as though we forget that Jesus said to watch a wait, warning that He could return at any time. As the Chief is lurking around every corner here at ODS Newport, God (who does not lurk incidentally) sees everything and has told us He is coming soon for His people.

What will He find when He returns. Are your ready for inspection?