THURSDAY 181122
Happy Thanksgiving!
Please note our gym is closed today and Friday in observance of this wonderful holiday. The next workout is on Saturday at 10AM. Be blessed!
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There is a principle taught during the California Police Academy that is so important, Recruit Training Officers will caution trainees: “Obeying this principle will save your life; violating this principle will get you killed.” The exact same principle is also a dominant theme at US Army Basic Combat Training, where Drill Instructors can be heard thundering the warning: “This single principle is the most important thing you’ll ever do on the battlefield.”
I have been academically instructed on this principle three times in my life: First as a Recruit Police Officer attending the Police Academy in 2001, then three years later during US Army Basic Combat Training at Fort Sill, OK., and finally as a Special Agent at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Academy in Quantico, VA. I recall thinking to myself on all these occasions, “I better be absolutely certain I learn this principle, and adhere to it!”
The principle is called “Security First – Security Always” and refers to the Officers and Soldiers commitment to making security (ie. Officer Safety) of themselves and their unit the number one priority. Everything else can wait. Nothing else is even remotely as important as security. Without security, missions can fail, and lives can be lost. Security has to be actively sought after, maintained, and enhanced under all costs.
Unfortunately, many times Officers and Soldiers misplace their number one priority, and focus on matters that seem urgent and pressing – but that ultimately are only distractions from what matters most. If security is violated, everything else the Officer or Soldier does becomes tainted, ineffective, and tantamount to catastrophic repercussions.
Misplacing priorities is something that everyone – not just Officers and Soldiers – can fall victim to. Our ultimate “security” both in our worldly-life and eternal-life is our relationship with God. When we misplace our spiritual priority of seeking God first, then “everything we do and everything we offer is defiled” (Haggai 2:14). On the other hand, when we make God our first priority, and not our last resort, then “from that day on everything we do is blessed” (Haggai 2:19).
Just like my Recruit Training Officers and Drill Instructors taught me all those years ago: “Security First –Security Always” really means “God First – God Always.”
Hooyah, warrior!
~ Coach
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