Get Off the Beach!

"There are two kinds of people who are staying on this beach: those who are dead and those who are going to die. Now let’s get out of here!" - Col. George Taylor, 16th Infantry Regiment Commander, US Army; Normandy, France; 6 June 1944

Of the many famous quotes that came from US military men during World War 2, this is one of the more famous, having been used in the classic movie "The Longest Day." It was said at a time when the US Army's amphibious assault was being mercilessly pounded by Nazi machine gun nests, mortar and artillery. It was uttered when the Colonel came ashore and found the surviving members of his unit pinned down on the beach and afraid to make their way through the maelstrom that was Omaha Beach.

Col. Taylor's point was simple -- if you stay on the beach you will die. Nazi mortars and artillery had been zeroed in on the beach weeks, if not months, ahead so that the landing area was a virtual kill zone. Many men never even made it out of the surf before they fell. Many more perished on the beach. But many made it through, clearing the way for the continuing waves of the invasion force.

"Stay here," it could be paraphrased, "and you will die; to press on is your only chance to live." There were no plans for retreat that day. There was literally no where to hide and no where to run other than forward.

With my divorce, job situation(s), money issues, and such, there's been many times where I just want to curl up in my bed and hope it all will just go away. But, of course, it won't. I know that there are many who have, to some degree, felt the same way. I have a coworker and friend who, when his twins were born earlier this year, lost one of them at birth. Another friend and his wife are struggling with having children and not seeing any success. Yet another friend is a divorced dad whose teenage daughter refuses to speak or have anything to do with him. I could, unfortunately, go on and on with varying degrees of personal struggles with people I know.

Sometimes it can just be overwhelming. We don't see an end, and if we do, we don't see how it could be a good ending. It's hard - to say the least.

One thing that history teaches us, however, is that the most bitter and most difficult battles are often the most significant. And these battles, when won, are typically considered key turning points in the overall war. Our lives are no different.

We are in a war - a war for our lives and our souls. Our enemy has weapons that cause the greatest injury and destruction. God never said it would be easy -- in fact, He said it would be difficult. "In this world you will have trouble...." John 16:33b

And it is a war. The devil has only one goal -- our complete and total destruction, however that is measured in the individual. "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy...." John 10:10a

But read the full context of the two verses noted above:
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." John 10:9-11

We have the victory won. It is guaranteed and there is no doubt. In fact, our Leader gave His life for us so that we could get ourselves off of "the beach." The battle is won. We just have to press on and fight. The fight may continue as we move ahead, or we may find a place of peace. But one thing we know -- if we stay on the beach we will die. Figuratively, spiritually, or maybe even physically.

Paul knew this all too well, and I will close with his words:
"And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." 1 Corinthians 1:7-9

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14

Press on, and get off the beach. Stay - and die, or get up and move forward, and live. To quote another famous commander from D-Day, General Norman Cota, an Army Ranger, "Follow me!" And when our Commander is the Creator of the Universe who has conquered sin and death, what better Leader to follow!

Nobody said the battle(s) would be easy. Quite the contrary. But we are assured that the war is already won. What peace there is in that knowledge!