In the context of elite performance to be a member of the realm of frogs (a UDT/SEAL), however, such medical counsel defeats many candidates because the focus is on the five senses that are sending data to the brain of the stressful situations; the mind assimilates the data and formulates a game plan of avoiding all the unpleasantries associated with the mental and physical discomfort of the training exercises. Now, this is not a call to quit listening to your body unless you decided to be a mighty and stealthy warrior.
Once the seed of “I quit” is planted, germinated,
rooted, and formulated in the brain, failure will ensue. I came perilously
close to a seed being planted in my mind, particularly during one grueling training
exercise, but only by sheer grit and determination was I able to rid myself of
it, and it never returned because my resolve was finally cemented in place in the crucible. Prematurely,
I had thought my resolve was a done deal when I signed up as a civilian as a “UDT
Guarantee,” 100% guaranteed an opportunity to try out for UDT/SEALs but a 95% guarantee
of not finishing (the recruiter never told me about the dropout rate); nobody can offer any guarantee of successfully completing the program. My Navy recruiter told me when I completed BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) training, "Truthfully, Michael, I never thought you would have made it!" I just pointed to my SEAL trident on my uniform and smiled.
The dropout rate for BUD/S was 19
out of 20. For most, you volunteer in and volunteer out. Those who quit are
required to ring a brass bell that resonates to all, “I quit,” and forever will
it be in the mind of the failing candidate – “Ding, Ding, Ding, the sound of a
quitter.” It is a brutal resignation. The thrice sound of the bell cannot be
denied by a BUD/S candidate if he decides to quit the training; it is commanded.
It was then as it is now a public declaration of defeat. I never wanted to
experience the humiliation and the psychological pounding that bell inflicted;
so I made up my mind that I would never stand there and ring that bell and put
up with the mental abuse to follow for the rest of my life.
Sarah Young is right on when she says,
“As your thinking goes, so goes your entire being.”1
Controlling the head controls
the body. Right biblical thinking manifests itself in life. It is not about
listening to your body but to the Holy Spirit living within the heart. He will always
direct you to the Word that will enlighten and enable you to deliver spiritual performance toward a sound and solid objective – Christlikeness (cf. Jn 14:26;16:13,
14; 1 Cor 2:10-11, 12, 13).
There has to be the right drive (motivation)
behind the performance (action); it’s called agape love (Rom 5:5; Jn 14:15).
Walking in the Spirit is a high-caliber spiritual performance. It does not
result from an insouciant way of thinking. It requires a strong singular focus on
a purpose with a consuming passion for reaching the goal, and failure is not an
option – I want to be; I must be like Christ (Php 3:13, 14). The strength to do
such a thing doesn’t reside within the flesh or the old man but in obedience to the leading of the Holy
Spirit. Not everyone is cut out to be a Navy/SEAL, but every genuine believer
is divinely enabled by the Holy Spirit to live the life (Php 4:13; Gal 5:16;
Eph 5:18). We can be like Christ in
this life, but it only comes from a consuming passion not from a whimsical
desire to be led by His Spirit.
While in training I had this image of
standing on top of a mountain and looking across the rough
terrain of the valley to a loftier mountain on the other side of the valley. The
valley of BUD/S had to be traversed to reach the higher mountain. I never took
my inner eyes off of “SEAL Mountain” (cf. Php 3:13, 14). No terrain, come what
may, was going to prevent me from reaching the other side. I was intensely
focused and highly motivated, and with each passing day, my mental and physical
stamina was growing to deal with the increasing complexity and severity of the
terrain. The mental and physical demands were taxing and challenging enough (cf. 2 Tim
2:3), but the ocean water was cold, colder still in the dark, which always kept
shivering alive and well, leveling the playing field.
You would be surprised by the number
of “jocks” who quit early on because they naively thought they could simply
muscle their way through the program. The cold water changes all of that
nonsense. If anything describes UDT/SEAL training it is the adjective of being “wet.” It
carries its own torments. You lived from day to day. You didn’t think about the
next day until the completion of the day before (cf. Mt 6:34).
Then comes the day when you have the
privilege and honor to pin the SEAL trident to your uniform (cf. 2 Cor 4:17; 2 Tim 4:8). It
was long ago, another time, another place, and another person (cf. 2 Cor 5:17). The training
is something you never forget though. It demands brains and brawn and a bit of not
quite being right in the head; well, that was me back then but still not quite
right in the head today; so my friends tell me! It only takes getting in cold water that takes my mind back to so long ago in a heartbeat, and I say to myself, “I am glad I am out of
training” as I try to get warm (cf. Gal 6:17)!
I never did fit the misconception
of what a SEAL looked like back then or now. In contrast to only a couple of “Arnold-looking”
dudes, I was wiry and muscular. You would never tell by looking at me that I
was once a SEAL. It was just something I did long ago as a highly motivated
young man who didn’t know Christ. I never bragged about such an accomplishment;
SEALs back in the Vietnam Era were not as well known as today. I
simply did what the Navy required of me if I wanted to be a part of the realm of
frogs. I never thought of myself as a tough guy because I wasn’t; I was simply someone
who did his job. Truthfully, I am a bit embarrassed by it but not ashamed of any
of it. If I had to do it all over again, I would have pursued a different path;
I think. For sure I would have gotten my college education out of the way first
then gone macho.
But I can’t say that as a son/soldier
of Jesus Christ; for there is no greater privilege or honor of being His son or
in serving Him and giving my all without any
embarrassment or being ashamed of Him (Rom 1:16). The training this side of eternity
to be a good soldier never ends. Many believers never prepare for battle as
soldiers for they don’t even think they are in a spiritual war or at least they
live and act like there isn’t one going on (cf. Gal. 5:25; 2 Tim 3:13; 1 Tim
1:18; 2 Cor 10:3-5; Eph 6:11-18; nothing will get you up to speed any quicker
of being engaged in spiritual combat than walking in the Spirit, making you a
target for spiritual terrorists).
You can fail along the way in this
lifetime of training, but thankfully you don’t get booted out when you mess up
if you are truly born from above (Jn 3:3; 1 Jn 1:9). If you are of the mindset
that thinks and tells others you can lose your salvation, have at it and live
with your never knowing for sure, but it is unfortunate and unbiblical. I
believe in eternal security not because of what I do, but what He did and is
doing and going to do for me (Eph 2:8-9; Jn 10:10b; Rom 8:38, 39; 2 Tim 1:12; 1 Pet 1:3-5).
Being a soldier of Jesus Christ doesn’t
take brains or brawn but being in obedience to His Word. Should we stray from that
principle we might as well ring that bell because living according to the Word is what being like Christ is all about. It is
not in some legalistic manner, but the way Jesus did it (cf. Jn 17:4). His desire was to do the will of the Father above all else (Lk 22:42; Mt 6:10b). It is more a way of life and not about keeping a bunch of rules and regulations. The drive behind the objective of being like Christ is
agape love (Jn 14:15). It is the constraining factor that allows us to overcome
the various spiritual terrains of this world as Christians.
Whether becoming a Navy SEAL or a believer in Jesus Christ, the training really never ends; I cannot stress this enough. The more you know the better off you are as a soldier of Jesus Christ. We cannot be prepared and effective in defending against attacks or engaging and thwarting the enemy if we fail to put on the whole armor of God (Eph 6:11); it just stands to reason (2 Tim 2:15, KJV; 2 Pet 3:18). Your body can do way more with a renewing mind and being energized by the Holy Spirit of God than what the old mindset is telling you (Rom 12:1, 2; Php 4:13; 1 Cor 9:24, 25, 26-27; Heb 12:1, 2). We can say no to sin and yes to righteousness! Never ring that bell; never give up on Jesus! <><
Whether becoming a Navy SEAL or a believer in Jesus Christ, the training really never ends; I cannot stress this enough. The more you know the better off you are as a soldier of Jesus Christ. We cannot be prepared and effective in defending against attacks or engaging and thwarting the enemy if we fail to put on the whole armor of God (Eph 6:11); it just stands to reason (2 Tim 2:15, KJV; 2 Pet 3:18). Your body can do way more with a renewing mind and being energized by the Holy Spirit of God than what the old mindset is telling you (Rom 12:1, 2; Php 4:13; 1 Cor 9:24, 25, 26-27; Heb 12:1, 2). We can say no to sin and yes to righteousness! Never ring that bell; never give up on Jesus! <><
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1Jesus Calling. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc. February 12, p.45
