More to the Story

 

More to the story

I just finished up my first semester at South Texas College. I took three classes, Texas Politics, College Algebra and English Composition. I learned allot more about algebra then I ever thought I would know, I thought I could write but I discovered I didn’t and I got an “A” in Texas Politics. For my final in my English Comp Class I wrote about achievement in the face of adversity and doubt while becoming a Navy SEAL and making it to the Navy Boxing Team. I only had three pages to tell the story so I had to abbreviate everything in order to make it fit within the criteria of the assignment. There was a lot more to the story.

Today at the men’s bible study at Center Church the lesson was from James and overcoming temptation and doubt. I spoke about my experiences in Hell Week in both BUD/s class 133 and BUD/s class 141. There is an evolution where you have to write an essay during Hell Week in class 133 I was shaking from the cold you could hardly read what I was writing but when they handed the essay back I could see where I wrote “This sucks”, “I am freezing”. I knew that I had lost it. I was later dropped from training, I caught pneumonia and my performance dropped off significantly, I failed 11 four mile timed runs in a row and I had to make them up the same day after training and pass in order to stay with the class and I did. Then I failed everything all at once. Pool competency and diving physics before they dropped me from training. It was a dark time in my life.

I was at rock bottom. It took me a year to overcome the effects of pneumonia, building up my immunity and getting myself back in shape. I did not use hot water, trying to condition myself to go back through BUD/s, cold showers every day for 20 months. I learned while teaching physiology and nutrition classes to Aviation Officers Candidates and Aircrew students. When I went back through BUD/s in class 141 I was strong all of the way through Hell Week and I had the highest scores in the class in diving physics. It took two times to pass pool comp because I held my breath to long and had a shallow water blackout but I jocked and did it again right away and passed.

I had done all of this before I really knew the Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit. I remember hearing Daniel “Ruby” Ruettiger talking about how during his trials and tribulations he was able to keep an even keel because of his faith. I remember thinking “I didn’t do that”. Now more than ever I am looking to the Lord to get me through this time. I know just from experience that things turn around and that you just have to be ready for it when it does. It is actually fairly easy when you only have to focus on yourself but when you have others on your team and going through it with you it takes a lot more. You have to show progress and strength. Being patient with yourself isn’t enough and you can’t ask them to be patient with you. I need God’s help for breakthroughs. There are a lot of things cooking but sometimes they get stale while you are waiting. I was once told that most of us focus our efforts towards our passions instead of our aptitudes. That is where our gifts are and when we are able to focus our passions toward are aptitudes which are our gifts given to us by God the world opens up to us.