For What It's Worth...

For What It’s Worth, Beware of Shortcuts

During World War II, I celebrated my seventeenth birthday by volunteering for service in the Navy. From Monroe, I reported for my physical at the National Guard Armory in Shreveport. The building was empty. Areas along the walls had been sectioned off by curtains. The doctors were in stations behind the curtains. Stripped of all clothing, we journeyed from one doctor to another. Examinations were completed directly across the open space from where we began. The doctors gave us our papers and instructed us to stay behind the curtains and return to the dressing room and wait.

Recognizing that he was straight across the big room from where we started, one man tried to take a short cut. About ten feet into his trek across the previously empty space, he became aware of the many desks that had been moved in and the ladies working at them. He came to a screeching halt, announced his presence with a loud “Whoop,” and, on his return, knocked down several sections of curtains. Bedlam prevailed. Women screamed, there was laughter, and many naked men scrambled for cover!

Funny as well as embarrassing, the experience left me with some lessons to keep. Taking short cuts isn’t always the best way to travel. They can lead to trouble. Look before you leap! Check for the pitfalls along the way.

When you’re in unfamiliar territory, it pays to listen to the instructions of one who knows the way. Each day of life is new ground to cover. God knows every curve, hill, pothole, and obstacle. Do not be afraid to ask for and follow His instructions (Proverbs 3:5-6).

One can live through embarrassing moments, and afterward even laugh at the experiences. Life goes on. Live each day as if you knew that it was your last, and enjoy the ride.

For What It’s Worth, Beware of Shortcuts - The Rest of the Story

Recently, I related the story of my navy physical exam at the National Guard Armory in Shreveport. I was seventeen at the time. Here’s the rest of the story. Because of a prior surgery for an intestinal obstruction, I was declared physically unfit for military duty. They said I would have to have surgery again (I made it fifty years before it happened).

I was not sick. I was healthy. To be told I was not fit for the military was devastating to me. On the way home, I was so depressed that I became ill. It took weeks to get over my feeling of worthlessness.

Gradually, I realized I was as good a man then as I was before being rejected. I began to examine new directions for my life and thanked God that to Him, my family, my friends and the sweet lady that was to become my companion for fifty-nine years, I was of infinite worth. I learned that to fail in one area did not mean failure in every other area of life. The most valuable lesson was that my strength and ability was not enough. I required wisdom and strength from God! I also learned that service to God and country was not confined to only one arena. I could not serve in the military, so I listened and heeded God’s call to a different kind of service. Since then, I have ministered to many military members and to their family members. I also experienced the privilege of performing funerals for seven Vietnam casualties. I’ve given comfort to many who were dying and ministered to thousands who were living. For many who were “only existing”, I’ve helped them learn about living life to the fullest and, by the grace of God, at eight-six, I’m still actively serving God and mankind. After all these years, I still love what I do. For sixty years, I’ve not had to “go to work” a single day. I’ve shared my experience in the hope that some of you who might feel disappointed and rejected will look up and keep on keeping on with your life! If and when you do become downcast, these scriptures have helped me: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9 NKJV; See also Philippians 4:6-7 and Proverbs 3:5-6).