A Beautiful Defeat by Kevin Malarkey

Author:Kevin Malarkey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2014-05-01T00:00:00+00:00

When you arise from this prayer you will be doing nothing less than heading out for battle.

Six

Prepare for Your Mission

ARE WE LIVING A MESS OR ARE WE ON A MISSION?

This question was on my mind when I walked into his office. One look and I knew there had to be a backstory. There was no way this guy could have been a medical doctor his entire life. I don’t know exactly what it was. Some might call it the “X” factor, but he was just different, not bad, good in fact, but definitely different. Piercing, alert, intelligent eyes, a strong frame supporting thick yet lithe muscles giving the impression—despite his large size—he was fast as a cat if he wanted to be, along with a commanding manner, all led me to ask what he did prior to medicine.

He was a Navy SEAL! It took me awhile to get it out of him, but it was not surprising if you just looked at him. Figures . . . but kind of ironic too. Here I had been thinking on this issue of daily spiritual warfare, and now I was talking with a Navy SEAL.

“I’ve never met a SEAL before. It’s an honor,” I said, sticking out my hand.

“Thanks. The reason you’ve not met a SEAL before is likely because, except for a few grandstanding ego machines, a SEAL doesn’t typically want to be known and there just aren’t that many of us around. At any given time, there are only about twenty-five hundred active-duty SEALs.”

I was there for an appointment but found myself wanting to pepper him with questions. What could I learn from him about preparation for a mission? A lot, as it turns out. He agreed to answer my questions and we arranged to meet outside the context of the office. But before he would give his final okay, there were a few things I had to agree to.

“Kevin, I’m happy to answer your questions honestly, but you have to agree never to associate my name with any of this—it’s critical. I don’t mean to be melodramatic, but we [Navy SEALs] never stop having enemies.”

Yeah, I know the feeling.

A few days later, he walked into the coffee shop and sat across from me. What he shared with me was harsh and delivered with profanity. I don’t condone the rough language, nor some of the practices and behaviors he described (some of which I had to omit)—but I want you to hear his words directly because I was blown away by the fact that I could learn more about my Christian life from a special ops professional soldier than from many a believer trapped in a soft Christian religion.

It starts with desire, but desire is never enough. You do have to want it, but just because you want to be a SEAL will never carry you to your goal. Lots of people want something. Big deal. Unless you have the inner grit to never quit, unless the idea of giving up cannot enter your mind, you’ll never make it.

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