A few days
ago, I was talking to a friend who served in the Army. Since I served in the
Marine Corps and he in the Army, we like to swap stories; these conversations
can be most entertaining. While we relive some hilarious, often, almost
unbelievable tales, invariably, some of the more unpleasant things arise. In
our last conversation, “sand fleas” came up. If you don’t know what a sand flea
is, I suggest you look it up online; however, whatever you find cannot possibly
come close to what anyone who has dealt with them knows about them.
During my
days at Parris Island (an island in SC for Marine basic training), I became
well acquainted with the sand flea. They are very small but pack a powerful
bite. They are not your garden variety flea, at least not as far as I am
concerned. As I recalled, once they bite, the don’t stop until something makes
them or they die of old age. Okay, maybe that is somewhat of a stretch, but it
seemed like it.
Oftentimes,
after we left the chow hall, our drill instructors would march us into a field
and have us march in place in the tall grass to stir them up. Then we would
have to stand at attention, perfectly still, and let them cover us. As you felt
them all over you, crawling into your ears, nose, eyes, and everywhere they
could get, you watched them on the neck and ears of the guy in front of you. It
was torture!
I always
felt that our DI’s were sadistic and this was simply a form of torture derived for
their entertainment, much like Nero burning Christians in his gardens. I remember
praying hard and trying to figure out any possible motive, which was never
explained to us, and I always came up empty. It must have been sheer evil on
their part.
What I didn’t know then…
The reason
for this inhumane treatment was to teach discipline. To stand perfectly still
while something is gnawing on you takes discipline. Discipline that could save
you and your buddies lives in combat. Later, one of our DIs told us of a Marine
patrol in Vietnam that was returning from a mission when an enemy convoy
approached them. They dove off to the side of the road in haste to avoid
contact. Once the convoy had passed by, the Marines began to regroup; each
emerged but one. When his buddies finally found him, he had dove into a bee
hive. He was so swollen, he was only recognizable by his uniform. He had never
made a sound. Had he yelled out in agonizing pain, his buddies would have been
taken prisoner or killed. Discipline.
When I
learned of this, my whole outlook changed. Every torturous thing I encountered,
I thought of this true hero and I persevered with a purpose. It wasn’t pleasant
and I hated it but I had a great reason for doing it and one heroic Marine’s
memory to honor.
Today, many
people are asking, “If God is loving and all powerful, why does He allow
suffering?” The answer is not easy and it goes against what we see as loving
and just. Most of us do all we can to spare our children from pain. Many
mothers prohibit their children from certain activities because they don’t want
their child to suffer. While that is loving, it is not wise. We learn from
experimentation. How many of us learned not to touch a hot stove because we
touched it, not because we were told not too? How many of us were spared a
deadly disease because we got inoculated? I have never met a child who enjoyed getting
a shot. But our mothers allowed the Dr. to hurt us because they knew it was
best for us.
We live in a
fallen world. Fallen because of us, not because God made it so. We invited sin
into God’s perfect world that He created for us. Sin has ramifications. A holy,
just God, cannot simply overlook sin, He must judge it. He could have dealt with
sin right there in the garden and wiped out Adam and Eve but He didn’t. He
provided a way to reverse the effects of their sin and it cost Him greatly. He
sent His Son Jesus to pay for our sin, on a cruel cross, so that we could be
restored to Him.
But why does He allow
us to suffer?
Pain and
suffering are results of our sin but also to bring us to our knees. We either
bow the knee or shake our fists. If becoming a Christian ended all our pain,
everyone would become a Christian; not because we love God, rather it would be
to escape pain. God is love and desires our genuine love in return.
For the
Christian, daily trials teach us of our need for God’s strength and discipline.
In the Old Testament, we read about Joseph (Genesis) and Daniel (Daniel). Two
young men who experienced great trials but had disciplined themselves early. To
many, they could have taken the easy road and simply asked for God’s
forgiveness later. Not these two boys. God had big plans for them and though
they suffered, neither budged. Neither complained, at least it is not recorded
if they did. Joseph, who was betrayed by his family, later stated, “But as for
you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it
about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Gen. 50:20, NKJV). He
could have had them killed or thrown in prison, afterall, he was the second
highest ruler in Egypt, but he chose to see how God used bad circumstances to
bring greater good rather than exact revenge. Discipline.
As I have
grown in my walk with the Lord, the trials have gotten harder. The Apostle Paul
wrote, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but
God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able,
but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able
to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13, NKJV). As babes in Christ, He will protect us from more
than we can stand. As we mature in Him, He allows greater trials. Every time we
overcome a trial, we become more disciplined and strengthened. We can jump into
a spiritual bees nest and never make a
sound. When others see the difference in us, they are either drawn to it or
repelled by it.
It’s funny,
when I look back at the horrible things I endured at the hands of my drill
instructors, I’m thankful. They pushed me to be tougher and better than I
thought I could be. I had that one dead Marine, who gave his life for others,
as an example and role model. I can even look back and laugh at so much that I
once thought would kill me and I am grateful. I don’t believe I’ve ever met a
Marine or soldier who said they wish their training had been easier.
When we reach
the end of this life and look back, will we be grateful for the pain God has
allowed us to experience? I think so because I have already seen how pain has helped
shape me into who I am today and it makes my heart tender to the plight of
others. As the years go by, I will see even more how God has used my pain, to
bring about good, maybe even save many people. I can’t wait to get to heaven
and see the Big Picture.
