Lawmen, Soldiers Set Good Example for Rest of Us

Lawmen, soldiers set good example for rest of us

His mother was getting worried, and after cooking his favorite breakfast meal and it getting cold, she tip-toed to his bedroom door to see if he was awake. She saw he was and said, “Son, do you know if you got up right now and ate your breakfast and ran to get ready, you would barely make it to church on time this morning?” Pulling the covers over his head, he declared he was not going to church on this morning and had two good reasons why. “First of all, nobody in church cares about my opinion any more. Secondly, they don’t show any respect toward me, so I am not going to church today.” To which his mother said, “Son, you have two very good reasons to get dressed and go. First of all, you are 52 years old, and secondly, you are the pastor!” Like it or detest it we have to deal with responsibility. Of late, our papers and news releases are full stating there is a wholesale lapse of it with grown adults acting like children and neglecting their responsibility. Expectant mothers are aborting their babies; lawmakers in D.C. are looking the other way while the church leaders are on sabbatical. If the foundations be removed, what will we do? (Psalm 11:3) Responsibility is the foundation of every society. If I went by my feeling, a lot of the time I would be like the 52-year-old pastor, wanting to be a no-show. But you can’t go by feelings. You have to see the big picture and get out of the bed and go to your post of duty. God has given me a passionate burden for our military and law enforcement over the past decade and has allowed me to join their ranks as one of their chaplains, a mentor and supporter. What I have found is men and women who have placed their personal interests to the side and stand in the gap to make up the hedge for the good of everyone else. While we sleep, they patrol and keep at bay those who seek our demise. When we climb into our cars to travel down the roads, we know our chances of arriving safe and sound to our destination are good because someone has taken responsibility seriously. I know on occasion we read where a law officer is found to be a dirty cop or a soldier has gone AWOL, but the overwhelming majority stay their watch and allow us all to go free. The four years I spent among America’s Best, her sons and daughters in uniform in war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan, removed all doubt of the worth of our military. The slogans “never show your back to the enemy” and “never leave a buddy behind” are for real with our armed forces. The same can be said for our brave officers who make up our law enforcement and in particular our Highway Patrol. Last month marked a full year I have come along to be Troop M Unit 9 chaplain. Nobody has to tell me all 33 troopers and staff are giving it their best. Daily they shoulder the heavy load of keeping all of us from committing vehicular suicide and homicide. Neither do I have to be convinced our military is not up to snuff, because we still have the world’s best fighting force. For them to continue their unrelenting task is to place their lives on the line every time they approach a stopped motorist in violation or as a soldier in uniform go out on a mission. Just last month doing a routine license check, two of Troop M’s men had a car turn and flee, to which they gave chase and found the man with a trunkload of marijuana and concealed weapons. Had he continued on up to the troopers in a panic, the criminal could have have drawn his weapon and shot one or both. All the more reason every last one of you need to join me every morning praying for all of them. It is our responsibility to do so. It’s a good trade-off and the least we can do. Hats off today to all our soldiers in uniform, especially in war zones, and our law enforcement on patrol: men and women honoring their responsibility. God bless you and God bless America.

Bro. Mike Dykes is associate pastor at Dexter Pentecostal Church. Email [email protected].