"Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage..." - Ezra 7:27
They called it TLD, Troop Leader Development. It might as well have been called Wilderness Survival, as in the merit badge that you were at least implicitly expected to earn if you hoped to be nominated for TLD. And both of them might as well have been called Misery Training.
With both TLD and Wilderness Survival, there was a requirement, at least when I was in Boy Scouts, to take a scrape of food, a compass and coordinates, and a match and go spend the night in the wild.
As the luck of the Divine draw would have it, both overnights were accompanied by rain. Lots of rain. Biblically-sized lots of rain. I'm not exaggerating or kidding.
It was miserable. Just what was needed for Misery Training.
Both times we had to build lean-tos from whatever wood we could scrounge together, but in pouring rain a lean-to was little if any shelter from the storm. And building a fire with one match was a hilarious proposition, so our food either went uncooked or uneaten or both. It didn't matter because there wasn't much food anyway.
So in sum, we stayed up all night, soaked, and hungry. A bunch of teenage boys. Troop Leader Development. Wilderness Survival. Misery Training.
But it's funny how God helps us remember, because I do remember. "Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage..." (Ezra 7:27)
God did it in Bible days with Ezra and the gang. God did it 30+ years ago with a bunch of teenage boys.
God will do it for you today.
Come what may. Whatever your Misery Training may look like, take heart. "Because the hand of the LORD my God [will be on you, have] courage..." (Ezra 7:27)
The LORD will help you and be your strength!
Praise God!
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