Salute!

Salute!

You have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up.

Daniel 5:27

When I was commanding a field artillery battalion in Germany in the early eighties, we were undergoing a general inspection by the VII Corps Inspector General (IG). A portion of the inspection was to evaluate the level of training of our soldiers in basic skills. These are skills all soldiers should possess, regardless of their specialties. An example of a basic skill, for instance, is how to administer first aid.

The IG selected a random number of soldiers to evaluate. One of the soldiers was a newly assigned cook. The IG asked him to explain the acronym S.A.L.U.T.E.

Expecting to hear the definition of an intelligence spot report a soldier might make from a battlefield observation, the IG awaited the soldier’s response. His answer should have included, in order, six elements that begin with the letters in the word salute—size, activity, location, unit, time, and equipment.

The soldier thought for a moment as the IG waited patiently, and then the light came on. The soldier proudly responded, “Sir! It is when one cooks something in oil in a shallow pan over high heat.”

The young cook had just defined how to sauté something.

This lighthearted story reminds me that someday we, too, will be inspected to see if we measure up in the eyes of God. We will be “weighed on the balances,” so to speak. Fortunately, although our sins and shortcomings may weigh heavily on one side of the balance, God’s grace through Jesus will be balancing the scale on our behalf on the other side, and we will “measure up” and be welcomed into the arms of our patient, loving God.

—John H. Kelly, Col. US Army Ret.

Thank you, God, for your saving grace and for giving us the incomparable blessing of being with you for all eternity. Without your mercy, we would surely be found wanting. Amen.