Christian Living

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Being Careful Of What You Wish For
© 2008

by

Stephen A. Peterson


His name was Chris Jessup, a Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corps. Many members of his unit considered Lance Corporal Jessup bossy, arrogant and thought he knew just about everything. Several squad members thought Lance Corporal Jessup, including Private Fuqua, prayed for the day when they did not have to be around the Lance Corporal. Nonetheless, Private Fuqua and Lance Corporal Jessup almost always seemed to end up on the same details—examining Platoon waterlines; checking ammunition levels; calibrating the unit’s caliber 50 machine guns to name a few unit activities.

Then Lance Corporal Jessup was transferred to another unit. At first, Private Fuqua was delighted. He was finally rid of the Lance Corporal. Then he noticed that activities in the Platoon were not functioning as smoothly as before. Had requisitions for field rations been ordered on time? No. Were the dozen or so night vision equipment inspected prior to going out on patrol? No one really knew how to do key Platoon activities as quickly as the Lance Corporal nor did they have any idea of what they were doing. Did anyone know how to speak Arabic like Lance Corporal Jessup? No. In fact no one knew any Arabic when Lance Corporal Jessup was transferred. Within two weeks after Lance Corporal Jessup’s transfer, Private Fuqua began to appreciate the now departed Lance Corporal.

“You bet he was bossy,” thought Private Fuqua. “But he was also well, organized, efficient and willing to go the extra mile to do the hardest, sometimes most challenging tasks.”

At the end of the first month after Lance Corporal Jessup had gone Private Fuqua wished he had tried to know him a little better. Maybe the Lance Corporal would not have been the bossy, arrogant and difficult person he was thought to be.

Many of us actually search out and find the negatives about a person we do not like. Their flaws become larger than they actually are. Once they are gone then we come to realize that maybe that person was not so bad after all. What if the Lord did to us what we tend to do to each other at one time or another—even Christians to other Christians. What we perceive to be misgivings and faults, in time, could be often are useful, beneficial behaviors or acts as that may help us through our earthly journey. But each time we meet someone who seems absolutely impossible, take a fresh look at that person and always find something wonderful and good.

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