During my years as a cadet, every meeting began with an inspection of each person as we lined up in our ranks to be individually scrutinized by the officer in charge. This less-than-five-minute inspection culminated hours of preparation as boots, badges, and buttons were shined, the belt was polished, the beret was brushed, and uniforms were starched and ironed until the seams stood out like a knife’s edge.
This preparation required a willingness to endure the smell of shoe polish and metal cleaner, diligence to work through the painstaking stages of cleaning boots for that high polish shine, and patience in ironing to remove every crease in the wrong place. Special care was exercised to avoid anyone stepping on the results of your hard work or marring your efforts in any way. This effort was exerted because of our pride in wearing the uniform.
As an inspection occurred, an officer commented to one of my peers, “I can see myself like a mirror in your boots!”
While the envied cadet maintained a serious look, I knew his heart was bubbling over on the inside. My assessment proved accurate as he reminded all his peers of the commendation for weeks to come.
When the appropriate authority recognizes and acknowledges a job well done, it gives unparalleled satisfaction to the recipient. It makes the dedication, commitment, and sacrifice worth it all. There are many blessings to be experienced on the road to destiny. Nonetheless, these will pale compared to the benefit of hearing the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant,” by the Lord.
The motivation that comes from hearing God’s commendation is pure and untarnished from insincere desires. It is pure because it is appropriate since God is the one who has created us, ordained our destiny, equipped us to fulfill it, and will reward us for accomplishing it. Hence, to have God’s approval is all that matters.
This motivation is also powerful, as it provides the drive and passion to continue the journey to destiny, even in the face of challenges and opposition. To acquire this motivation, God’s approval must first be important to us. As cadets, our sense of worth prompted us to take pride in what we did and how we did it, knowing that we were not just representing ourselves. We were representing the Cadet Corps and did not want to do anything to bring dishonor to the institution. As God’s perspective grows in importance to us, we receive inspiration to continue persevering and striving for perfection.
(excerpt from Too Blessed to Make a Mess)