Sniper Ghillie Suit
About two weeks ago, I wrote the post The Well of Desire as an introduction to the Desire spoke of the Transformation Wheel. Then I read Matthew Chapter 13, and I veered into a discussion on the contextual meaning of the word “everything” in the parable of the pearl.
Today, as I started back into the chapter on Desire in Ilia’s Book
“If we desire love and wholeness, then we need to take our desires seriously. We need to pay attention to our desires for they are the deepest cravings within us. In our Western materialistic culture, we tend to desire passing things, things that are material in nature — “its.” But the desire that is life giving is a desire for a “Thou” — God.”
I have a son who is a freshmen in High School.
I speak to him often about being aware of his passions. I want him to be aware of his innermost desires, because I want him to use them to shape his life. I want his desires to establish his vocation, because I think that gives him the best possible chance at happiness.
To his credit, he has taken this advice seriously. He dreams of going to West Point, of becoming a Ranger, and he organizes his life with that goal in mind. He understands his grades matter now, and he finished the first semester of his high school career with straight A’s. He also pursues athletics and other activities in an effort to build a resume that will allow him to compete for entry into an academy.
He sees this is an honorable choice, because it will place him in a position of service to his fellow man. I agree, and I am willing to help him achieve this goal in any way I can.
But, at fifteen, he is not yet capable of understanding what “service to his fellow man” means.
He thinks, for instance, that “its” play a large role in preparing to serve.
He is currently obsessed with getting a Ghillie Suit. We agreed this would be his main Christmas present, and he helped place the order. He then proceeded to harass his Mom daily (in less than kindly fashion) about checking on the manufacturing status. Once it shipped, the first words out of his mouth upon walking in the house after school are “Is it here yet !?!?”
I wish that I could get him to understand that he could begin serving right now. He could, for instance, empty the dishwasher without being asked instead of harassing his mother about the status of his order.
I want him to understand that possession of an “it” has nothing to do with developing the qualities needed to be a good officer. I wish he would grasp that the most important thing he can pursue right now is not excellence at being stealthy, but excellence at understanding how desire for “Thou” (God) is the source of his desire to serve.
If he would embrace the desire for “Thou” now, he could speed the process along. He might even start developing service habits now, instead of spending every free moment playing Call of Duty: World at War on his computer, as if that somehow represented how heroes actually function in this world.
How does a father influence the desires of his fifteen year old son when the world beckons him so intently?
So far, I haven’t found that answer, other than to hope that the overall weight of my suggestions will come to bear in time.