I awakened to find the hair on the left side of my head was gone. The hair was burned off completely. In August of 1969, that was the least of my worries, and yet it haunts me today. Death had come within 2 or 3 inches. Much to be thankful for. Much to ponder.

The question I felt I required an answer to at the age of nineteen remains the question of today. That night, the God I so cavalierly took for granted during my tour of duty in Vietnam grabbed me by the shoulders, turned me to face Him, and said, “Beginning now, much will be required of you.” From that day forward, I have looked my God in the eye and said, “And what is it that You require of me?” It has taken a lifetime to answer that question. The basic answer is found in Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” This is our mission.

In my early years, I was convinced God had destined me for something big, something creative. Make a name for myself. Make a big splash. That did not work out so well. Life got in the way. Kathryn and I got married and went off to school. Being married requires time, experience, and living together. It is hard work and requires dedication if we are to do it well. Going to school seemed important if we were going to get good jobs and set our family up for success in the future. We immersed ourselves in going to college and in creating a lasting relationship. Both built a foundation for our future together. As we built our family on a Christian foundation, we discovered in these early years a springboard from Psalm 46, verse 10. Our guiding principles are to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. I learned early on, and repeatedly throughout my life, that “looking to make a name for myself” is just not in concert with walking humbly with my God. The lesson God teaches me regularly is to work with the experiences and events God puts in my path. Whenever I have stepped out and tried to make my own experiences, I falter. In some cases, I fail. In those cases, I need to repent and return to the path God has set before me. Throughout my life, God has taught me that pride is a terrible sin. It is also one of my faults for which I need God’s continuing guidance.

We moved 15 times in the first 13 years of our marriage. During this period in our lives, our two children were born. Life again changes forever when children enter the family. Your whole focus changes. In these years, I was chasing the next biggest promotion. The guardian instincts instilled in my psyche by the Marine Corps kicked in. Kathryn and I created a family. I eagerly accepted that responsibility. As the guardian of my family, I learned and practiced both justice and mercy. When I was at work, I saw so many managers and administrators getting to the top on the backs of those who worked for them. My experiences saw very little justice and no mercy. Mercy in my work experience is understanding your employees’ needs, and the one “business fault” I developed was “first, do no harm”. In this regard, I was someone who always held the view that family came first. I just could not accept the idea that to reach the very top, your job had to be the most important thing. The trade-offs were kids’ birthdays, Sunday worship, kids’ school, and play activities. These trumped whatever real or perceived emergencies arose at work.

The years have passed, and I find that at 76, the answer is the same as it was at 19 – Be still and know that I am God.

Life is busy. Life is messy. Life is noisy. Life is complicated. I have discovered that I am doing “great things”. We have been married for over 55 years and counting. We raised two children who grew into loving and caring adults. We are now raising two grandchildren who are growing into loving and caring adults. We are retired now and are very comfortable. In my work life, I am most proud of the many employees that I was able to foster, care for, and teach, and who surpassed me on the “way to the top”. In retrospect, my God was with me every step of the way. It turns out that the great things were those that God had planned for me. What I thought was my path was not. Over time, God laid out my path, and through humility, the path unfolded. Kathryn and I are blessed with intelligence, reason, and most importantly, free will. We continue to use the principles of act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. I continue to take the time to “be still and know that I am God”. In those moments of quiet reflection, I found that while I wanted to do great things, God wanted me to take the path He had put before me. Staying on that path was difficult, but now I am beginning to see the enjoyment and peace of living the life God planned out for me. It is my intent, with the continuing help of a wise and loving God, to keep on keeping on.

Frank Remkiewicz is an area resident and contributes a monthly column focused primarily on faith and religion. He can be reached at fremkiewicz@gmail.com. Opinions expressed are those of the author.