Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Soldiers, Retreat!

Two warring armies were in the heat of battle. Swords and spears sliced through the air, some being deflected by heavy shields and others piercing straight through unshielded armor. The sound of metal hitting metal was drowned out by cries of rage and pain. The bodies of the slain were spread all across the red-tinted field, and the metallic smell of blood hung in the air.

With more and more of his men dropping by the second, the centurion of the losing army blocked an oncoming attack with his large red shield and yelled, “Soldiers, retreat!”

As soon as the command left his lips, many of the soldiers who had seen that they were at a disadvantage peeled away from the battle and fled. Some left more reluctantly, trying to finish off one or two of their enemies as they slowly backed away. A few soldiers, either too prideful to retreat or cemented in place by a sense of duty, continued to fight and soon fell where they stood.

As the remaining soldiers scattered away, they could hear their enemies rejoicing in the distance. Mingled with their yells of victory, however, was laughter. It was it was a crude, harsh laugh that was meant to mock the cowards that ran for their lives. The laughter echoed through the valley, reminding the retreating soldiers that escape was one of shame, dishonor, and cowardice.

One of the soldiers threw down his helmet and pointed an accusing finger at the centurion. “You fool! Why did you make us retreat? We had everything under control!”

Night had fallen, and the few men still alive after the battle had regrouped at their camp.

“Our men were falling left and right,” said the centurion, shaking his head solemnly. “It was either retreat or meet the same fate.”

“We would have died with honor!” another soldier chipped in. “As heroes!”

Many of the soldiers rose up and shouted in agreement.

“And what good would that have done?” the centurion asked, rising from the stone he had been sitting on. “Would being named a hero keep your wives safe? Your children?”

Silence fell on the camp.

“We may have lost the battle, but we are not defeated!” the centurion yelled. “We will give our wounded a chance to recover, then we will study what we have learned about our enemies and strategize the best plan of action. We did not retreat to save ourselves; we retreated to regroup and retaliate. If we take this small portion of time to renew our body and methods” the centurion met the eyes of his soldiers “then no one will be able to stop us.”

Many of us look at the Sabbath as an act of cowardice. We seem to think that if we put away the work we complain about all week, then we are being lazy or giving up. Though I never really talked about it, I have thought of the Sabbath as such a few times, as well. I would try to get all of my work done, nipping away at the edges of the Sabbath, and spend the twenty-four hours allotted for rest thinking only of the work I would complete when the sun once again left the sky.

This weekend forced me to get out of that mindset.

After enduring his continual insistence, I finally agreed to follow one of my friends to a Student Ministerial Association Retreat. Though we were surrounded by all of nature’s beauty, the only thing I could focus on was the homework that I needed to do. I had made many mistakes during the week, and I knew that I had to stay on task. I had to start a project, finish an essay, and put in hours of study. That was all that occupied my thoughts when Ron Smith, president of the Southern Union, started preaching. Soon enough, however, his energetic preaching style got my attention, and with no electronics or notepads to distract me, I was hooked.

For the rest of the weekend, I felt isolated from the world. All the problems, all the worries and all the work had been left at school, and I intended to let them stay there. I communed with old friends and new, and we spent the Sabbath hiking, canoeing, and simply enjoying what God created. When I returned to Southern, I felt the weight of my responsibilities jump onto my shoulders, but I knew that I could handle it because I had been refreshed and revived by spending the Sabbath the way God intended.

Which brings us back to the soldier analogy.

God is the centurion. He has not ordered us to “retreat” from the things of the world one day a week to cripple us, but rather to strengthen us. He understands that the battle can get rough and that it might seem like we are about to lose, so He calls us away from the daily war in order to allow us to recover from the stress, regroup with the church and loved ones, and be reenergized for the upcoming battle that is the following week.

Of course, not everyone is eager to allow the cares of the world to melt away. Some, like myself, try to continue the battle while they retreat, while others refuse to retreat and sacrifice their spiritual lives. For this reason we need to look at the Sabbath as a gift, not a religious duty or a lifeless ritual. If we put everything away and focus only on God, then no one will be able to stop us.