Bottom line up front: Pilgrimage as shaping metaphor

Text (Psalm 121, ESV):

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

Questions/teaching: How important is one’s anthropology (doctrine of man) when it comes to mission effectiveness? I would wager that most folks would concede it is central. The question of “What is man?” is unavoidable. Failure to accurately define man, his nature, his purpose, his origin, his destiny, etc. results in mission creep, death by a thousand cuts, bureaucracy, and ineffectiveness. Currently in the military, a healthy restructuring is occurring wherein we are training to become lighter, faster, more lethal, and more maneuverable. But that entails recognizing what people are like; in other words, it means dealing with anthropology (the doctrine of man). In the military, one of the regulations currently en vogue is Holistic Health and Fitness (FM 7-22). Is spiritual readiness central for us Service Members? Even according to the Army, it is:

A spiritually fit individual is generally productive at work and performs assigned tasks with a high degree of effectiveness and efficiency. The confidence of identity provided through spiritual readiness practices enables the person to not only endure challenging and stressful situations, but provides purpose and meaning for the conduct of normal tasks. Just as a drop in productivity and performance can potentially indicate behavioral health issues, they can also indicate a spiritual readiness concern. While an individual’s moral and ethical reasoning might not change or deviate, his or her performance and productivity might waiver. This is also true when mission requirements prevent attendance at spiritual readiness events or hinder personal spiritual readiness practices. Creating conditions that encourage personal spiritual readiness practices can facilitate sustained performance and productivity for both individuals and a team. Monitoring of duty assignments can also prevent the same person from experiencing repetitive schedule conflicts which prevent attendance at spiritual readiness events (FM 10-35).

A return to the question: How important is one’s anthropology (doctrine of man) when it comes to mission effectiveness? Wise soldiering will recognize and implement spiritual readiness by fostering a climate wherein the reality of man’s spirit is addressed openly and wisely. If you are raising a generation of Soldiers who can articulate who they are, where they came from, where they’re headed, and why, then you have a combat multiplier. The converse likewise applies: If you capitulate to the wrong anthropology where generations of Soldiers cannot articulate who they are, where they came from, where they’re headed, or why, then we should not be surprised at the moral melee that results.

Encouragement/takeaway: Effectiveness and efficiency were the terms H2F employed. Scripture pictures it as simply biblical anthropology. Man is created in the image of God, either male or female, and we’re designed by the master Designer. He formed not only you and me, but all created things, things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And we’re to use our hearts, minds, souls, and strength to the best of our abilities because we’re not just matter in motion. We are spiritual pilgrims who are the creations of the infinite-personal God who does all things well.