The recent Mumbai terrorist attack which caused more than 190 deaths and a recent message by Pastor Jill Southern (from Ellel Ministry) on 'David and Goliath' about 2 weeks ago led me to ponder of how prepared I was in life to face my life's storms.

Questions started brewing in my mind on the frailty of life. "How prepared am I for life's storms?" "Have I been responding to God's preparation to face my 'giants'?" "When did God prepare me?" "And what sort of giants can I expect?" "And how will I honor God if I am not prepared for the giants in my life?" So many questions buzzing in my head. Out of all the buzzing came a rema: "Be prepared."

'Be prepared' - simple phrase but it reminds me of an important part of my youth. Maybe now I am beginning to see how the pieces fit together.

Be prepared.

That's the Boy Scout Motto that most Boy Scouts will remember for the rest of their lives. As a Boy Scout I did remember not just the motto but also the 'Scout Promise' and the 'Scout Law' by heart as we were often quizzed on it. Don't ask me to recite now but a lot of the laws and promises of a Scout are synonymous to the teachings from the Bible. Surprised? Check it out in Wikipedia.

Close to 20 years back, I was part of an enthusiastic group of 14 year-olds who were signing up to a 'gerakan' known to promote discipline, adventure and the love for outdoor. I remembered that we were put through a lot of physical and emotional tests before we got our badge and title as a Boy Scout.

We were told, that a 'Scout' was not just a uniformed organization. We were signing up for more than just marching, camping, campfire and backwoods cooking. We were told to always "be prepared" to help others in all types of situation. In fact, as I got more and more into Scouting, I realized that it wasn't a feel-good-and-have-fun sort of organization. But it felt good anyway.

We were told that a Scout was a friend to all. Yes, a friend even to strangers. A Scout must be willing to help anyone. That's a tall order for 14 year-olds. But there was no regret for me as I invested a large part of my youth in Scouting - learning and enjoying every part of it.

The saying, "Once a Scout, always a Scout" has always been emphasized. We were told that we must never cease to be a Scout even when we were out of our uniform. Helping others must be part of our character. And indeed, Scouting has a lot of character building elements in it.

We were taught how to react to many emergency situations - learning knots, first-aids, fire-fighting, and basic outdoor survival skills. Of course it wasn't a military training - but a lot of the things taught to us were the foundations that a soldier would have learned. And as a matter of fact, Scouting was founded by a war hero who had served in Africa and India back in the late 1800s. And his name was Robert Baden-Powell.

I think Baden-Powell saw the lack of training for young people to be prepared for a life of service to the country and to God. And his Christian faith led him to create a movement that had its roots in the Bible. Surprised again?

In his last letter to Scouts, Robert Baden-Powell wrote:

...I have had a most happy life and I want each one of you to have a happy life too. I believe that God put us in this jolly world to be happy and enjoy life. Happiness does not come from being rich, nor merely being successful in your career, nor by self-indulgence. One step towards happiness is to make yourself healthy and strong while you are a boy, so that you can be useful and so you can enjoy life when you are a man. Nature study will show you how full of beautiful and wonderful things God has made the world for you to enjoy. Be contented with what you have got and make the best of it. Look on the bright side of things instead of the gloomy one. But the real way to get happiness is by giving out happiness to other people. Try and leave this world a little better than you found it and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best. 'Be Prepared' in this way, to live happy and to die happy - stick to your Scout Promise always - even after you have ceased to be a boy - and God help you to do it.

Much of Baden-Powell's personal teaching pivoted on the value of thankfulness to God.

I realized that God had me where He wanted me to be. My involvement in Scouting was probably not the perfect will of God but nonetheless, Scouting helped me to understand a life dedicated to preparation - to being prepared for life's storms. And the final piece of my preparation was my meeting and accepting Him as my Lord and King.

Deuteronomy 13:4 sums up the life of a Christian:
It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.

Sadly today, the reference to God is being taken out from the Scout Promise and the Scout Laws. :-( If only we all know how vanity all things will be without God in it.