PLOWSHARES TO SWORDS, SWORDS TO PLOWSHARES

Interesting conversation today minus the ones that I have with myself throughout the day. I was talking with a good friend of mine and an interesting thing happened. While in the military it was a tradition to not wash our coffee cup ever! It would be all stained and the outside all cover with stains and the inside almost black from years of military grade coffee being drank from it, I still don’t let robin my wife wash my coffee cup today, the theory is if we run out of coffee you can at least add hot water and make at least one cup out of the residue in the cup.

As I was talking to my friend (Retired Navy), I was finishing my cup of coffee at his house that I always have in the same cup and his wife knows not to wash it. And my friend said I only wash the outside of my cup. And I immediately felt a tug at my spirit and a reminder of Jesus admonishing the Pharisee’s and saying that they only cleanse the outside of their bowls and cups and leave the inside dirty and calling them hypocrites. They were always dressed in the finest outerwear and even though they taught the laws and were looked upon as religious leaders first appearances are deceiving because the inside of the cup was still dirty, they preached and enforced the laws set forth by God, yet they did not follow them as they expected all others to do.

So, I reflected on my situation, which is not the greatest physically or mentally due to alcoholism and my time in service. Then I took a long hard look at myself. My cup is just as dirty, and I am doing my best daily to clean my cup as best I can inside and out. But it is not easy to wash away 53 years and I do not think I will ever be where I want to be spiritually or physically but that does not mean I will ever give up.

I pray, I love, I have faith and reflect before I respond, allowing the lord an opportunity to direct me in what I should do not what my instincts tell me to do. Take a breath, reflect, and respond in such a way that I would want done to me. Honesty and love go a long way even if it hurts emotionally. That is being honest and showing love and compassion towards the situation and the individual. So, I am sorry to say I failed today with an opportunity to have a discussion with a dear friend of mine today and explain what that statement meant to me and share the word of God with him. My thought on that is that an individual can read the Bible every day and go to church every Sunday, but it is what you do with the grace given to you each day in life to reflect the greatness and glory of God. Just like anything in life, if you learn something and do nothing with it for the betterment of those you encounter or who you love it is worthless and time wasted. Deeds speak louder than Words.

So, after 22 years of military service in the infantry both Marines (Six years) and Army (16 years) and retiring in 2010 I find comfort in the fact that my life can be summed up with the phrase “Plowshares to Swords, Swords to Plowshares”. I find peace in my writing and reading each day and have finally put my  sword to the fire in order to heal thru the harvest to come.