Articles of War

I've been reading the Articles of War that I signed more than 20 years ago and feel shocked that I was so willing to make such a big commitment at the tender age of 14 (well almost 15)! Casting my mind back I don't think I ever understood the reality of what it could mean for my life, and I've certainly failed to live up to them over the years.

Here in Latvia I often find that my language skills can often be a barrier to successful communication as my Latvian is poor. Also the language itself does not always have a good word for what we are trying to say, for instance 'integrity' has no direct translation that I've discovered. This issue spreads over to the commitment that our TSA Soldiers make here. The translation of the Articles of War don't say "I will...", but rather "I will try to..."!

In one way the difference is positive as it confirms our knowledge of our humanity and without God's help are not able to always succeed at the commitment we've made. On the other hand, I fear that it ultimately engenders a defeatist attitude. "I will try to..." suggests that you already know you will fail and means that people can't fault you if you do! You can't be held accountable as you clearly said that you will only "try to" do something.


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