All I Know About Fear I Learned as a 2nd Lt

by
Dan Amos

The fear of the Lord can be a difficult concept to grasp. It didn't make sense to me that a God who created us to have communion with him would want us to be afraid of him.

A little light came on for me when I was a second lieutenant. In my first assignment I had the fortune of being assigned to two men with warrior spirits. My supervisor was Capt Williams who had transferred to the Air Force from the Marines. The motto of our office was "to close with and destroy the enemy using firepower and maneuver." This was pretty ambitious for a bunch of intelligence analysts, but it set the tone.

Our commander was Lieutenant Colonel Bohn. I learned many things from him, but in this note I'll only talk about fear.

You didn't go to the commander's office, you reported. That meant marching to the front of his desk, coming to attention with heels together and feet angled 45 degrees, back straight, left hand grasping an imaginary roll of quarters and thumb pointing down the seam of my pants. With my eyes forward and head not moving I'd salute with my right hand, forefinger just touching my eyebrow.

Now he might return my salute immediately and put me at ease or he might let me stand there for what seemed an eternity until he would return my salute and leave me at attention. It depended greatly whether I was there for reward, assignment, or discipline. I got to experience all three.

When I accepted my commission I gave up certain rights and put my destiny in the hands of others. Lt Col Bohn could make or break my career. My time in his command could be rewarding or it could be absolute misery. I wanted to do my best and it was through him that I would know whether I was in line with the mission.

For me this became an imperfect picture of my fear of the Lord. He has numbered my days. He is active in my life and my life is his. I willingly serve him and strive to set aside my will for his. He gives me assignments and it is my job to carry them out. And, like the tools in Harold Eash's carpenter story, it is my job to do what God has called me to do.

So, when I was asked to return to the Elder Board I immediately said yes. I know the timing of nominations and was prepared if asked. At the annual meeting I and several others will have that invitation to serve confirmed or rejected. But either way, I know I don't have to fear the result.