Digging in and staying with it

By Bill Dawley

Marines never retreat! This was the message that was pounded into us day after day for 13 solid weeks during boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, during the 1960s. It carried over into infantry school and then on through specialized training in preparation to go overseas. Actually, this idea became so much a part of me that I really haven't been able to shake it since—and I rely on it every day.

This resolve that the Marine Corps instills in its raw recruits has won immeasurable battles for the United States in war time. From the early days of fending off pirates from the rigging of colonial ships, to the time when brave Marines dug in and then steadily advanced on the islands of the South Pacific during World War II, Marines have had the resolve to never give up. That resolve won islands that still have a familiar ring: Okinawa, Peleliu, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima.

What I've learned over the years is that like the resolve that stood those World War II Marines in such good stead, those who practice the Science of Christianity also need resolve. Sometimes, lots of it. And like the military model related above, this practice requires a certain kind of "digging in."

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