One of the
first things that a Boy Scout learns in Scouting is the Scout Oath:
"On my honor, I
will do my best to do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout
Law; to help other people at all times;
to keep me physically strong, mentally awake, and
morally straight."
The first
task is to learn it, the next is to know what it means and finally, it is to practice it in their
life. That is always the harder task.
This is not some fun promise
that is to be taught to children and forgotten as adults. The fact is, this promise is far more
important to adults than it is to a young boy.
As a child, our duty is simple and non-threatening. As an adult, our duty becomes very real,
difficult and sometimes dangerous. It is
our duty all the same and, although it may be simple, it has great meaning and
purpose. Sir Winston Churchill put it
well when he said, "All great things are simple, and many can be expressed
in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty mercy, hope."
“We never fail when we try to do our duty. We always fail when we neglect to do it.”
– Sir Robert Baden-Powell
(1857-1941)
Founder of
the Boy Scouts
In our life, we have four main
areas of duty that we must never forget.
On these will hang our life, liberty,
and success.
1) Our duty to God
Our culture tends to think of
God as religion. That means our duty
would be to go to church and maybe pray when we are in need. Religion has nothing to do with duty. Every human on the planet is here because God
chose to place them here. What you
choose to believe is irrelevant to the fact that God is God and He is calling
the shots. To do our duty to Him is to
obey His word and live for Him. We serve
a God of love, power, and great mercy,
but we serve Him, He does not serve us.
Jesus came to bring us forgiveness for sin so that we could, in fact, have a relationship with
God. He also came as an example of what
that relationship should look like.
2) Our duty to our family
One of the tragedies of today's
couture is the breakdown of the family.
There is no greater joy and fulfillment than a solid family. Our duty is to be the best we can be for our
family. We serve our family and care for
them above our own needs. Each member of
the family doing this brings love, harmony and a peace that is beyond all we
could hope for. I know this sounds a bit
pie-in-the-sky, but you will see that fulfilling your duty to the family will not be a chore but a joy.
3) Our duty to our employer
This may seem out of place,
however, one of the breakdowns in our society has been the great work
ethic. Workers have begun to believe
they are in control and they set the amount of work they will do and what they
get paid. If you have a job, you were
given that job, you get paid, you must work.
Our duty is to be a good hard worker and to give more than expected of
us. Yes, employers need to be fair and
honest and pay their workers what they deserve, however, if that were really
the case, some workers would get nothing are all for that is what they
deserve. Be the best and you can expect
the best.
4) Our duty to our country
We live in the greatest land in
all of history. America is the place of
freedom, individual exceptionalism and the ability to become whatever you
wish. I know that in recent years we
have gone through some hard times, however, America is still there and those
who believe in her will do their duty to protect, build and keep her free.
You matter! You matter to the world
and to yourself. Remember to be your
best, love God, have good manners, achieve the unknown and change your world.
Scouting Out of Uniform
is a personal blog based on the lessons learned from Scouting that relate to
personal development and success principles and is not an official site of The
Boy Scouts of America. John Patrick Hickey does not represent or speak for the
Scouting program; however, he does completely support and encourages Scouting
for both young and old. John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Personal
Development Coach and proud Scouter. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or
to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or
group, visit our website at www.johnpatrickhickey.com. © 2018 John Patrick Hickey
No comments:
Post a Comment