2023-05-19 A Meditation on the Cadet

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Php 2:5–11 ESV)

The cadet expected purpose. The cadet expected loss and futility left behind. The cadet expected a grown response to a mature yet early and youthful decision made. The cadet expected to wear that badge with pride, courageously voting with their boots on just this decision made: the decision to serve, and proudly to sacrifice life’s here-and-there bounty for the good Name of their people. Their church. Their heavenly Host of God’s people. Their Scriptures and the study therein. Their Faith in a Holy Spirit who comforts the frightened and calms the walk through no-man’s land in faith and in bravery.

Boldness, yet what the cadet did not expect was the regifting, the give back, of their very agency and self-directed Call. That is, the cadet is called upon to serve out of their own circumspect judgment and wisdom, to decide for their peer and brethren, their sistren and commander, their platoon boss and their judicious all-in regifted personal responsibility. They are more self-reliant, not less. Not blindly submitted and a mere grunt, but rather discovering for all the past regrets and distrust of the self, for all the meek submission Now and Today’s signing-up, they are as though encouraged all of a sudden to step out as though on a tight-rope, to be trusted anew, all over again, with the platoon, with the decision-making, with the personal circumscribed arena, the agency and the reactivity to boots-on-the-ground Events and Situations.

In the situation awareness, then, is each noble soldier, who knows of a spiritual war fought by one Jesus of Nazareth and today by a one-body one-mind cohort called Faith, called Platoon, called Neighbor. In awareness that Jesus was lightning rod and magnet for all manner of ridiculous banditry, of outlandish head-rearing-up of a devil cozy and familiar with God’s people. God’s people languishing, until that clear-minded Recruit, one Jesus of Nazareth, braved the opposing winds, healed with urgency the frontline afflicted and maimed, had no time for irreverent banter, but rather led the Crew with conscientious prayerful thought through their together times of peace, of joint rest, of preparation for the Tomorrow war.