The Christian EducatorA publication of North Valley Baptist Schools

Friendly Fire

By Jim Carey

A casualty in the battle is always a tragedy. It is an even greater catastrophe when the destruction is cause by friendly fire.

Friendly fire is a term originally adopted by the United States military.  It refers to fire from one’s own side or allied forces, as opposed to fire coming from enemy forces.  Many North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) militaries refer to these incidents as blue on blue, which is derived from military exercised in which NATO forces are identified by blue pennants, hence “blue,” and Warsaw Pact forces were identified by orange pennants.

One of the more infamous accounts of friendly fire killed Army Ranger Corporal Pat Tillman.  He was killed in a friendly fire incident while on patrol on April 22, 2004.  The Army initially claimed that Tillman and his unit were attacked in an apparent ambush on a road outside the village of Sperah near the Pakistan border.  An Afghan militia soldier was killed, and two other Rangers were injured.  The Army Special Operations Command initially claimed that there was an exchange with hostile forces.  After a lengthy investigation conducted by Brigadier General Jones, The U.S. Department of Defense concluded that both the Afghan militia soldier’s and Pat Tillman’s deaths were due to friendly fire aggravated by the intensity of the firefight.

The Christian battlefield will always be scattered with injury.  The Devil is constantly “seeking whom he may devour.”  It is a shame when we inadvertently help his cause with thoughtless or irresponsible deeds.  I have taken shots in the chest before; At times, the shooter has been a fellow teacher, a student, or a parent.  By the grace of God, these wounds are not fatal, but the reader should be warned that these types of shootings should be carefully avoided.  If we are not mindful, we may live the following damaging attitudes.

This soldier is not an officer, so it won’t hurt if he bleeds a little.  Just clean up where the Pastor can see it. It is okay if the bathrooms are dirty, or the floor is not clean for someone else, just so long as the Pastor doesn’t see it. If it is not the Main Auditorium, then it must not be important; the rest of the crowd is not important anyway.

My time is more important than his. It will be all right if some other soldier pays for my laziness or rudeness. Why should I leave my room prepared for the next person?  The next person will have the time to straighten the room, or his class will have to do without. I don’t want to help anyone else at my own expense.

Eliminate anything that would inconvenience me at any cost. So what if the parents sacrificed to buy that book. Everyone knows that child is irresponsible and throwing it away will serve him right. I don’t care that he left school sick today and had no opportunity to take his belongings with him.  His parents can just buy him a new one.

It is not my job. He is a staff member so that is his job. I can leave paint on the floor, marks on the wall, dirt on the floor, books on the floor, desks out of order. Someone else will come by and turn off the lights and air conditioner. Someone else can set up the chairs for me. Why should I leave the room the way I found it?

It is not my project. So what if it is a good idea and will help the cause of Christ?  I don’t want to help somebody else succeed. I am really too busy to spend a few moments sowing in someone else’s field. My own work is too important for me to lend a hand.

It is not my area. While there is a definite chain of command, it is easier to ignore a problem, than to solve it. I know I could have let someone know the sink was leaking, but how did I know it would cost $1500 to repair the damage. Besides, no one knows I could have solved the problem by just turning off the faucet. It was not my job.

It is not about the ministry, it is about me. I did not put it there. Someone else left the mess, I will simply ignore it. Let whoever made the mess come and clean it up. So what if there are no cleaning cloths in the kitchen. Those kids can figure out a way to clean and mop with no rags and no mops. You don’t have to have a vacuum to clean the halls. I might have to put it away if they used it.

I can take the credit for someone else’s idea if it makes me look good. After all, we all work together and they don’t need the accolades.

What can you do for me? If they can’t help me, why should I help them? I don’t want to help that child pick up his books. So what if he is crying? He wouldn’t help me if I had a problem.

Friendly fire is ungodly and unnecessary. The wounds are often internal and result in slow death. If we are truly serving God, then we are in the same army. When my brother gets hurt, I get hurt. When my brother loses a battle, I lose a battle. Let us be careful and thoughtful, and reduce the casualties.

“And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.”  Zechariah 13:6

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