A.W.O.L. Absent Without Leave (Lord)

A.W.O.L.

Are you "Absent Without Leave?"

From Boot Camp to Spiritual Calling: From Absence to Alignment

It was the fall of 1988 at the Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois. I still remember my first night of boot camp. Nearly one hundred of us were packed into a long barracks after a long, exhausting day. My head had just hit a hard pillow, against rough sheets and a scratchy blanket, when suddenly the silence was shattered. Out of the early morning darkness came the crashing sound of metal trash cans being thrown down the aisles between the bunks. Drill instructors stormed in yelling, creating chaos, and the noise echoed as frightened recruits jolted awake, scrambling to their feet. In that moment, reality hit—we were no longer in control, and we had entered a process that would strip us down and build us back up.

It’s no wonder some recruits go AWOL—Absent Without Leave—within days. The pressure, the discomfort, and the loss of familiarity becomes too much. They signed up with excitement, but when the process began, they disappeared. I once heard a humorous story that captures this well. A recruit went AWOL after just a few days and, when found hiding, explained, “On the first day they issued me a comb and then cut off all my hair. On the second day they gave me a toothbrush and then pulled my teeth. On the third day they handed me a jock strap—and I wasn’t sticking around to see what came next.” It’s funny, but it reveals something real—many people sign up for something they don’t fully understand, and when pressure begins, they leave. That the way it is for Christianity, it more than just signing up - praying a quick little prayer.

Enlisted But Not Engaged

Scripture tells us in 2 Timothy 2:3-4, “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” Following Christ is not just about believing—it is about becoming. Many come to the cross for salvation but never move forward into discipleship; they are enlisted, but not engaged. Jesus said in Luke 9:23, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me,” which makes it clear that this is not a one-time decision but a daily surrender.

Too often, believers honor God with their words while their hearts remain distant. They do not remove the things that hinder them, they neglect intimacy with God, and they drift from His purpose. The result is spiritual absence—present physically, but absent spiritually.

A Spiritual Boot Camp

The apostle Paul shows us a different pattern. After his conversion on the road to Damascus, he did not immediately step into public ministry but withdrew into Arabia (Galatians 1:17), and that hidden season became preparation. It was his spiritual boot camp where the Holy Spirit reshaped him. The man who once persecuted the church became one of its greatest leaders, his thinking was renewed, his heart was aligned, and his mission became clear. When Paul emerged, he was no longer distracted or divided but focused, obedient, and aligned with God’s purpose. That transformation did not happen overnight—it happened in the process.

The Condition of the Heart

Jesus taught in Matthew 13 that the Word of God is like a seed and our hearts are the soil. Some soil is hard, some shallow, and some filled with thorns. The seed may begin to grow, but without depth and surrender, it does not last. The cares of life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires of the flesh can choke out what God is trying to produce, and this is where many believers struggle—they start, but they do not finish.

1 Corinthians 3:13 reminds us that every man’s work will be tested by fire, and only what is built on obedience and faith will remain. So the question becomes personal: What am I building my life on? Am I rooted in Christ, or am I easily shaken? Jeremiah 29:11 declares that God has plans to give us a future and a hope, but we must choose alignment to walk in it.

When Life Falls Apart

I learned this truth in one of the hardest seasons of my life. Early in ministry, my family life was falling apart, and everything felt like it was unraveling at once. I remember one morning vividly as I was driving to church with my young sons in the backseat. They were quiet, but I was not—I was crying uncontrollably, overwhelmed with pain, confusion, and pressure.

I did not understand why things were happening the way they were, and everything in me wanted to retreat, to shut down, and to escape. In that moment, I had a decision to make—I could go absent, or I could press in. Something inside me chose to keep going, not because I was strong, but because I knew where my help came from. Many know my story; I was telling God I quit – then suddenly I got a prophetic text message from the other side of town from my spiritual mom who was in worship, at a different church. And the Spirit of God told her at the exact moment to message me, “Do not quit!” I learned God had us. He knows we need Him for what He called us all to do, whatever that is for you. Yes it might be tough, there may be even some relationships that have to end. Some things you will have to go through. But even in that – push through.

Pressure Reveals What’s Inside

Boot camp taught me something that life confirmed—pressure reveals what is inside you. When everything is easy, anyone can say they are committed, but when pressure comes, it exposes your foundation. Romans 5:3-4 says, “Tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope.” Pressure is not meant to destroy you; it is meant to develop you. It reveals whether your faith is real or shallow, whether your trust is in God or in your circumstances, and whether you are anchored or drifting. God uses pressure to refine us, to strip away what does not belong, and to strengthen what does.

From Absence to Alignment

Looking back, I can see how God used every part of my journey—boot camp, hardship, and brokenness—to shape me, and nothing was wasted. The chaos of that first night in 1988 was more than a military experience—it was a picture of how God works. He disrupts our comfort, shakes what is unstable, and wakes us up to something greater.

Hebrews 12:11 says, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness.” God is not trying to harm us—He is preparing us. He is not looking for casual believers but for committed followers who will endure, stay, and allow Him to align their lives with His purpose.

A Call to Engage

The call today is the same. God is still calling people into His service—not just for salvation, but for transformation. The question is not whether you have enlisted; the question is whether you are engaged. Are you enduring when it is hard, pressing in when you feel like giving up, and allowing God to shape you through the process? 2 Timothy 4:7 says, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” That is the goal—not just to start, but to finish.

Final Thought

Boot camp breaks you down so it can build you back up, and in many ways, so does God. But God’s purpose is far greater, because He is not just preparing you for a temporary assignment—He is preparing you for eternal impact. Do not go AWOL when the process begins, and do not walk away when it gets hard. Stay in it, let Him shape you, let Him train you, and let Him align you.

Love Pastor Steve www.dgimpact.org