To Shave
Brig. James Hargest, a New Zealander, was captured in North Africa in July 1941. He reported an interesting meeting with Gen. Erwin Rommel:
He stood looking at me coldly. Through his interpreter he expressed displeasure that I had not saluted him. I replied that I intended no discourtesy, but was in the habit of saluting only my seniors in our own or allied armies… It did not prevent him from congratulating me on the fighting quality of my men.
“They fight well,” he said.
“Yes, they fight well,” I replied, “but your tanks were too powerful for us.”
“Perhaps my men are superior to yours.”
“You know that is not correct.”
Although he had been fighting for over a week and was traveling in a tank, he was neat and clean, and I noticed that he had shaved before entering the battle that morning.120
My battalion commander in Vietnam, Lt. Col. Gary Wilder, enforced a strict policy of daily shaving, whether in rear areas or in the field. When water was scarce the men did as they were told but with great complaint. For a while it seemed like a waste of time and water to me as well. In time, however, I began to appreciate the benefits of such discipline. I learned that in combat, when men are tired, afraid, and frustrated, there can be a thin line between human and animal behavior. The disciplines of personal hygiene helped keep that line in clear focus.
Sometimes our spiritual vision can also get blurry when we allow ourselves to drift apart from God. We need certain spiritual disciplines to keep this from happening. Regular prayer and Bible study are vital to our spiritual health, but unfortunately, are easy to neglect. The simple discipline of attending to these regularly will pay great dividends in sharpening our vision of what is most important in our lives: a continuing personal relationship with our Father in heaven.
Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!”
—2 Kings 5:13