Don’t slap the soldier!

In the Academy Award winning movie “Patton“, George C. Scott portrayed a time that General George S. Patton slapped a soldier who was in a hospital from battle fatigue. While other soldiers laid in beds around him with battlefield injuries, the uninjured soldier was weeping in bed from the stress of the battle.

Here is how Wikipedia records the incident(s):

Two high-profile incidents of Patton striking subordinates during the Sicily campaign attracted national controversy following the end of the campaign. On August 3, 1943, Patton slapped and verbally abused Private Charles H. Kuhl at an evacuation hospital in Nicosia after he had been found to suffer from “battle fatigue”. On August 10, Patton slapped Private Paul G. Bennett under similar circumstances. Ordering both soldiers back to the front lines, Patton railed against cowardice and issued orders to his commanders to discipline any soldier making similar complaints.

I’m no film critic but, having watched the movie numerous times, I don’t believe that George C. Scott intended to create empathy for the General. I believe the viewer was encouraged to conclude that General Patton was brutish, mean-spirited, a bully, and generally not a very nice person.

Why? In many respects, boldness, courage, conviction, and strength are no longer admirable qualities in our society. A person who is timid, fearful, uncertain, and weak is now labeled as a victim in our society and, therefore, they should be treated with gentleness if not also respect and honor. They need time to heal from their wounds and we give them the grace to go to their graves having never overcome the challenges they face.

And yet…the Bible calls believers to be bold and courageous dozens of times! For example:

• Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
• The Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.” Deuteronomy 31:23
• Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Joshua 1:6
• Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
• Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.” Joshua 10:25
• Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them. 2 Samuel 2:7
• Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight. 2 Samuel 10:12
• “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man.” 1 Kings 2:2
• Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight. 1 Chronicles 19:13
• David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.” 1 Chronicles 28:20
• Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24
• say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Isaiah 35:4
• “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.” When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.” Daniel 10:19
• Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13
• Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Ephesians 6:10

It doesn’t take much thought to see something missing from the verses above. Let me illustrate by rephrasing the first verse satirically:

Work through your hurts and the ways you have been victimized. Get the help you need. Maybe someday you can heal and then, just maybe, you can be strong and courageous. In the meantime, it’s ok to be afraid because you aren’t quite sure yet that God is with you and will never leave you.”

The message missing from the verses above is that it takes time for us to heal before we can be strong and courageous. No, the Bible flat out calls us to be bold and courageous now. Given that the Word of God is written by the greatest “Counselor”, “Mental Healthcare Worker”, and “Psychiatrist” in the universe, maybe He knows that healing comes from the leap of faith to be bold and courageous because of your trust in God and His beloved Son, even when you feel you aren’t ready for it.

Let’s imagine that a man named Philip is terrified of a roller coaster and He is with Jesus at the amusement park. Which of the following two statements do you believe Jesus would make?

1. Philip, I know you are scared. Even though I, your Creator and God, am with you, I understand your fear and you aren’t ready for it. You aren’t 100% sure I will protect you on the ride. So, I think you shouldn’t get on the roller coaster. It’s too scary for you. Let’s stay here on the bench.
2. Philip, I am your Creator and your God. Grab my hand and let’s get on the roller coaster now! Be bold and courageous, knowing that I am with you and I will protect you.

It is my vote that Jesus would take the second approach.

What does this have to do with testimony sharing?

I think everything.

• “I’m too scared to share my testimony. People may reject me. I might be persecuted.”
• “I don’t know what to say. I’ll probably mess up.”
• “I haven’t been trained enough yet to share my testimony.”
• “My testimony is not exciting. So, I don’t think I’ll challenge myself to share it.”
• “Oh, yes…um, I’m too busy to share my testimony. Yes, that’s it. That’s the reason.”
• “I’ve got things to work through before I can share my testimony. I haven’t completely healed yet.”

Is that how you think? Is it possible Jesus is saying something else to you?

“Be bold and courageous. Share your story today of what Jesus has done for you. He will give you the words to say. Don’t worry about everything else that is not right in your life. Put your fears behind you. Just do it and share your testimony today!”

Let’s imagine a day when our Commander walks through a “hospital.” There will be those who have been wounded because they dared to share their testimony. There will also be those who are weeping because they were too scared to do so. Our Commander will love them all. There will be no shouting or screaming. There won’t be any slapping. However, our gentle Jesus will certainly have a different conversation with the battle-experienced soldiers of Christ who shared their testimony and the gospel than He has with the others who were too fearful to step onto the spiritual warfare battlefield and give the hope of salvation to those who were lost.

Be bold and courageous. Share your testimony today!