There Is Life Beyond The Blues

I used to be the kind of “ I love the BB ” person who couldn't see the forest from the trees. That is to say, I was one who was an expert at enforcing the little details of BB life that I forgot about the bigger picture.

For example, as a band sectional leader, I “tested” my members on their ability to memorize music pieces. So, I would have them play a tune while I listened for every mistake they made. Each mistake earned them 5 push-ups, if they were new. However, since most of them were seniors, they'd go down for 10 push-ups… per mistake . It was not uncommon to see my sectional members go down for 30 or 40 push-ups per song.

I conducted drill similarly: Members, for generations, have always “feared” the way I conduct drill. Being a perfectionist, I would make them repeat a movement, again and again, until I observe perfect synchronicity in movement and sound. Thus, a squad of Members was supposed to look and sound like there was only one person doing drill. Of course, there was a stipulated punishment for every mistake and it was not uncommon for Members to go down for 100 push-ups in a 30-minute drill session with me.

No, I was not power-crazy, as some people might have thought. I did it because I wanted our Company to have the best drill squad and band, to win competitions that would further motivate our Members towards excellence. I did it because I loved the BB.

Along the way, however, I lost track of the game plan. I made unimportant things important, and important things unimportant. In being so strict with my Band Section, my Members lost the joy of playing music. Yes, they could play the songs perfectly from memory, but the tunes were lifeless and flat. My drill squads were synchronized at the parade ground, but they were prone to discord and disunity everywhere else. I was blinded by my “I love the BB” fanaticism. Band and drill became the ends , and no longer the means . I was concerned about advancing Christ's kingdom and developing true Christian character in Members, but I ended up seeking drill trophies and band awards, instead.

I've since learned something very important: There is life beyond the Blues . There is more to Boys' Brigade than band, uniform and drill. For a brief period of a young person's life (yes, weekly 4-6 hour meetings out of 168 hours a week is brief ), the Boys Brigade is entrusted to give them a youth worth remembering, help develop their moral and spiritual character, and share with them the greatest gift of all: Jesus Christ, who loved them enough to die for them. Losing sight of these goals while having the shiniest uniforms, the most melodious band, or the most drill trophies makes us like the “resounding gong” or “clanging cymbals” in I Corinthians 13.

Don't get me wrong. Band, uniform and drill are important elements in the BB programme. However, they are not the reason why BB exists. I thought about this while attending a Drill Conference organized by BBM HQ several weeks ago (of this writing): While I greatly appreciate the effort, I sincerely hope BBM HQ will also organize national conferences on Evangelism or Character Development. I hope we can be as concerned about the national implementation of a Spiritual Formation programme as we are about standardizing our Drill.

As for me, my Members still “fear” drill sessions with me – but I also hope they look forward to facing life with the discipline and self-respect they developed on the drill ground. I hope they have learned obedience through the example of my life, and not because of the way I bark my orders or because of my rank. But most of all, I hope that I have shown them a Friend who promises to be closer than a brother, who will never leave them nor forsake them, from now… till they are way beyond wearing Blues.