Hello ,
Charles Jenkins had been a good soldier for nine years. He had a Good Conduct Award and had been promoted to sergeant. But on January 5, 1965, after 10 days of planning and ten beers, he tied a white T-shirt to his rifle and defected to the North Koreans. He disappeared in that dark country for nearly 40 years, until 2004, when he was able to leave North Korea to seek medical treatment in
Japan.
In
September he turned himself in to U. S. military authorities. At his court martial, the frail, tearful 64-year-old soldier pleaded guilty to desertion. He told the judge, "Ma'am, I am in fact guilty."
Why did he walk away from his unit and his country?
He
said he fled because he was afraid he'd be transferred to dangerous daytime patrols in the Demilitarized Zone between the two Korea's or worse, Vietnam. Jenkins wept as he described his depression, fears of death, and heavy drinking leading up to his desertion.
He
thought he'd be returned home, but instead he suffered under harsh conditions all his life. "I knew 100 percent what I was doing, but I did not know the consequences," said Jenkins. It was 20 years before anyone in America even knew he was alive.
This
sad story reminds us that as "travelers" here on planet earth, we often know WHAT we are doing, but we rarely recognize the full import of the consequences for the decisions that we make. Sadly, sometimes we recognize the reality of it all at a time when there's very little opportunity left for a quality second chance.
Our
Heavenly Father can help us to make good decisions in the "here and now" by guiding us through the obstacles of life.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight." Psalm 3:5-6
We can employ this divine "GPS" (God's Positioning System) in our lives each and every day when we CHOOSE to come to our Creator and lay our futures at His feet. He knows the best paths to take. Our job is to follow His lead, and allow Him to help us to live within His will.
Have a great day and God bless!
Pastor Mike / The Open Word
