I grew up reading books on the military. My father is a military history buff. The books I read focused on the experience of individuals as they went to war, like We Were Soldiers Once…and Young. However, over the years I stopped reading war memoirs. Recently I dipped back into war stories by reading two accounts of Navy SEALs who were involved in Afghanistan and Iraq. Paul and Christ often describe our life as one of battle. So it was not surprising that as I read those books I came across lessons that translate easily to the Christian life.
Book Reviews
The first book I read was Marcus Luttrell’s Lone Survivor. The initial part of the book is the account of Luttrell training to be a Navy SEAL. The second part is his account of a ill-fated recon mission where his three friends were killed. The book is excellent. There are things I disagree with, but it was well written. The reason for the training becomes clear in the second part of the book when they are attacked. His rescue by Afghan villagers was also fascinating. He showed the interplay between the Taliban and the local villagers. He explained a law in the villages that once you promised to protect a man the whole village is responsible for him. Thus it was a huge risk for the village to take Luttrell in. Overall it is a very good book to get insight into the training and mindset of America’s military elite.
The second book I read was American Sniper by Chris Kyle. I did not enjoy this one nearly as much. It suffered from a scattered narrative. Also there was a lot more machismo in this book. Kyle seemed to enjoy the bar fights he got into. Kyle is America’s top sniper. He has over 160 confirmed kills and probably killed over twice that many men. The most fascinating part of this book was his relationship with his wife. In the book he notes that over 90% of Navy Seals get divorced. It is not hard to see why. There are short sections of the book written by his wife that give insight into the difficulties of being married to Navy SEAL. Eventually, he refused to redeploy and stayed home. Kyle was killed in February 2013 by a fellow soldier at a shooting range in Texas.
Lessons Learned
Mental Toughness
Nothing stuck out to me when I was reading Marcus Luttrell’s book like his mental toughness. The Navy SEAL training, the firefight on the mountainside, the refusal to stop fighting despite three broken vertebrae, crawling across rocks and throwing himself down mountains all made me realize how easily I give up on things. As Americans, we are not very tough. We think we are. But most of us have not had to endure cold, hunger, deprivation, berating, and absolute physical exhaustion and then be asked to keep going. Yet toughness is an essential ingredient of the Christian life. The life of Paul, Peter, John, and Jesus all remind us that mental toughness, the ability to keep going and not give up, is basic to our spiritual walk. (See Hebrews 12:2) Do I give up too easily on hard work? Do I complain about the labor the Lord has given me to do? After reading this book I found myself whining less and working harder.
Loyalty to Each Other
These men have a deep loyalty to each other. In Luttrell’s book, when he was MIA for several days, fellow SEALs gathered at his Mom’s housed and stayed there all week until they found out about whether he was alive or dead. These men know what they went through to become SEALs. They know the hardships they endured and the lengths they would go through to save each other’s lives. This creates strong bonds of friendship and loyalty. This loyalty did not prevent disagreement. But it did usually prevent a breach of fellowship. I wish churches could display more of this mindset. We are bound, not by our training, but by our redemption. This unity in Christ should give us a great loyalty towards our fellow Christians, yet so often we tear each other to pieces instead of fighting the enemy (Galatians 5:15).
Accountability is Good, but the Fear of Man is Dangerous
Throughout both books the men and their superiors were constantly asking the question, “What will the media think if we do that?” Accountability like this can be good. Chris Kyle was very careful about who he shot. He had to have witnesses and the person had to be a threat. He had to give a report on each kill. Accountability like this can keep men from making foolish choices.
However, in Luttrell’s book you see the negative side of this. Luttrell and his men were on a recon mission when they came in contact with some goat herders. These men carried no guns, yet one of them had a long range radio. They were clearly Taliban, yet they posed no immediate threat. There was debate about whether or not they should kill them. In the end, they let them go, which I think most readers feel was the right decision. Luttrell indicates this decision was made in part because of the fear of what would happen if the media found out they killed unarmed men. But letting those men go cost the lives of three of his fellow soldiers on the ground and sixteen other military men who came and tried to rescue them in a helicopter. I think if he had to go back he would kill the goat herders thus saving the lives of numerous American soldiers.
As Christians, there is a need for us to be accountable to those around us. We need checks and balances, which members of our local church usually provide. People should be in our lives who know us and keep us from making bad decisions. However, there is also a need to have freedom to act in the way we see fit. . We need to give the benefit of the doubt to our brothers and sisters who make different decisions. In some circles there can be a fear of man that paralyzes us from making the right decision. That is not accountability. That is bondage.
Single Purpose
These men are good, very good at what they do. There is a singular focus on their task that is worthy of emulation. I am sure there is something about war that causes you to focus. The threat of death will strip away all other concerns. As a Christian, especially as a pastor (II Timothy 2:4), the way the SEALs focus on their job was convicting. We are too often like soldiers who forget we are in a war. We wander around spiritually fat and out of shape with our guns filled with sand and our minds on the pleasures of this world. As Christians, we need to have a laser beam focus on the task given to us by our Lord and we need to remember that we are at war.<>
Cheese – I like cheese with a fondness that has far outlived any interest that I may have once had in chasing balls. I remember walking down the street with my grandmother and ordering grilled cheese sandwiches at a diner that is no longer there. Cheese toast was her breakfast specialty. Cheese and crackers for an afternoon snack. Meager selections perhaps, but necessities from the days when parents wanted only to get calories into children whom they thought too skinny, who pediatricians thought were too fat. These days, I have the opportunity to sample respectable cheese just often enough that it remains a luxury and maintains it’s place in my heart – and perhaps in my arteries. I digress.
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