“He said it so plainly and with such perspective., that it caught my attention. Donald Rumsfeld, commenting on his time in a trainer aircraft, said, ” Right there in the manual of this my trainer aircraft was those three words: Climb, Conserve, and Confess” I just happened to be perusing my email when I was alerted to a speech by the former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, that piqued my attention. Rumsfeld, a cabinet member for four presidents, the winner of the Congressional Medal of Freedom and the CEO of at least two Fortune 500 companies just recently passed from the scene but in 2014 was very much in the news for a recently released title, Rumsfeld’s Rules.
In it, he tells the story of his early Navy aviator training where in the cockpit of the SNJ he discovered the manual that would provide guidance for the rest of his life, if not the many hours he would find himself in navy fighters. When an aviator found himself in trouble, he was to implement these three rather plain principles that likely could save his life. The acrostic is simple enough on the surface:
Climb– When in trouble climb in altitude to gain a greater perspective of the landscape, specifically where one could land the plane.
Conserve— Reduce the fuel consumption so the pilot can maximize his time for the contingency plans that must be put in place.
Confess-– Since it’s clear that by now, if you’re reading this, you are in trouble. So, swallow any pride still residing in the your mind and get on the radio to communicate your situation for immediate help.
So I wondered, if by chance Rumsfeld’s Rules, or at least this one had anything to say to me in my Christian life. Yep, I’m always on the prowl for the wider, deeper, or more personal meaning because after all, I don’t think God ever exposes us to information or even common sense that He doesn’t expect his “children” to address, try on or implement in their own lives.
It is not because the truth is too difficult to see that we make mistakes. We make mistakes because the easiest and most comfortable course for us is to seek insight where it accords with our emotions- especially selfish ones.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
So, let’s see, When I’m looking for wisdom and I’ve come front and center with a problem, challenge, or a crisis in life, what should I do? I think I’ll spend a week on each one, so you can spend some time pondering them individually.
FIRST TASK– CLIMB. PUT SOME ALTITUDE BETWEEN YOU AND THE PROBLEM.
One of our greatest assets in life may be the gift of perspective- not losing sight of the forest for the trees, or allowing my focus on what is directly in front of me to blind me from the “bigger picture.” To be sure, at some level the details of my problem are important but the larger concern resides in just what God wishes to make out of this circumstance. It’s likely I can’t deal with the issues properly if I can’t see it clearly.
Years ago, I saw more than one of my fellow seminarians lose sight of his “calling to ministry” when the opportunities associated with significant short-terms gains at a popular employer overshadowed and eventually dimmed the earlier decision to enter vocational Christian ministry. Now, I’m not so foolish as to suggest that the opportunities afforded by such employment are wrong or not in the individual’s best interest, only that by failing to “climb” and examine the opportunity in light of the larger goal, we can lose sight of what God really has in mind for us. Examples of this abound, but I’ll mention just one. Joseph, Jacob’s cherished son, had experienced a glimpse of what God had for him already early in life, albeit lacking the maturity for what that might mean in the space of God’s timing. Nevertheless, years later when he languished as a slave in Potiphar’s house, He made what proved to be a crucial decision both for his own life, and the future of Israel. He said no the illicit demand of Potiphar’s wife to sleep with her and her relentless daily pursuit because he could see the evil in the immediate compromise and the greater erosion of his character that awaited him if he weakened. That kind of godly perspective doesn’t flow magically from good upbringing or healthy morals. It comes when we remain committed to our love for God, his word, and his ways, and having “climbed” above the fray, we keep flying, seeking out the friendly skies of God’s family and a safer place to “put down.”
Next Week: Conserve
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