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The Amnesty Box
By Chaplain Carl Rhoads
Deploying again brings back a
flood of memories. It’s been about five years since I returned from
Iraq but my experiences there are fresh on my mind.
One of my better memories began
almost the moment I landed in Kuwait. It seemed like where ever I
looked there were various containers marked “Amnesty Box.” Some
large, some small, some fortified with sand bags while others were
as simple as trash cans… One day I happened upon one in the laundry
room and decided to take a closer look. Inside I found discarded
uniforms, several old socks and about 30 rounds of live ammunition.
Very interesting, I thought to myself, I must investigate further.
So I went to someone who always knows the answer in the Navy, a
Chief. “An Amnesty Box,” said the Chief, “is where you put s#%t
you’re not supposed to have.”
As long as America has defended
herself in battle, Sailors and Marines have collected souvenirs
along the way. Those traditions are alive and well in this modern
day conflict. Many items, some more innocent than others, appear in
Amnesty Boxes. Things that had been intriguing at one point became a
hazard upon reflection and were discarded. When done in an Amnesty
Box though there would be no consequences for the offender. But the
only way to be rid of the burden was to place it there willingly.
I have reflected on that
concept a great deal over the years. Through out my life I have
accumulated bits and pieces of stuff, both good and bad, some
tangible and others not. As a Chaplain I am not humanly perfect or
in any way above it all. I have made my share of mistakes and have
felt the consequences of many errors. So what do I do? As a
Christian I take my worries and cares to a sort of spiritual Amnesty
Box set up by God through Jesus Christ. No burden is so great, no
wrong so horrible that it will be rejected when willingly given to
Him.
In difficult times I have seen
other people of faith discover this as well as well. People of
various religious traditions turn to God in their time of need and
find comfort. So what about you? Do you face a daunting task? Do the
burdens of your house, children and work overwhelm you? Is the pain
of separation beyond your capacity to bear? Are you weighed down by
things you have collected through life, willingly or otherwise, that
you don’t know how to get rid of? Maybe it is time to return to your
faith tradition or perhaps begin a new relationship with God and
seek out his Amnesty Box.
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