This is not a drill

Lieutenant Johnson had been on deck all throughout the cold chilling night. Now that the dawn nears; he and others who were on night duty were being relieved of their duty by their colleagues.

The wearily head off to their cabin after they had kept their Ship save from the hands of the menacing enemy submarines. Immediately he entered the cabin, he took off his coat that had kept him from freezing while performing his duty. He hung them on the cabin wall.

Then he sat on his bed and shook off those heavy boots and socks. His aching body was craving the comfort of the simple bed and warmth of the cabin, he knelt down, his elbows on his bed and he clasped his hands together as he recite the Lord's prayer. After the recitation, he layed on his bed and he began to doze off.

Just fifteen minutes into his sleep the alarm was set off. Immediately there was an outburst from all the intercoms in the ship. From the speakers the words rang out;

"This is not a drill, ship under attack."

Johnson and his colleagues who had just entered their cabins got woken up. Simultaneously they all put on their jackets and shoes on. They all knew what was at stake. The emergency protocol has been activated and they know the matter at hand is between life or death.

Military drills are done to increase the preparedness of soldiers. War games are simulation of a military operation involving two or more opposing forces designed to depict an actual or assumed real-life situation of war. They are never real; they can only be close to real. There are procedures and guidelines during drills and war games. But in an actual war the unexpected can happen because you are actually facing a foe who wants to eliminate you at any cost. It is a matter of life or death, win or lose, capture or get captured.

Life is a battle ground and not a drill or friendly game. Life is unpredictable, unforeseeable. Filled with ups and downs. It is your duty to fight your way to survival. Life is exactly like the biological term "survival of the fittest". In life you hardly know who is your true friend for there are a lot of deception out there. So you have to be in constant alert all the time. Or you fall for their deception.

Even Jesus Christ when sending his disciples on mission knew the dangers of life and of the wicked people in it. He said in Matthew Chapter 10 verse 16

"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."

Just as Christ said we are sheep in the midst of wolves, but in wisdom we should protect ourselves and yet retain our innocence like the dove.