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God's Color Guard
Being a member of the color guard, bearing the standard for a group, is a position of honor, courage and responsibility. You are called to help bear a standard.
by Gary Petty
The headlines besiege us with news of deteriorating national scholastic performance, a never-ending battle against crime, and political platforms that constantly bend to the whims of the newest poll. The confusion can so overwhelm that we become callous to the latest story of a child killed in a drive-by shooting, a terrorist attack or news about a sports hero arrested for taking illegal drugs.
It seems we can’t read the editorial page of a newspaper or magazine without someone pointing out that society’s problems stem from a lack of values and standards. Christians are quick to agree that this country needs higher standards of behavior.
Of course, ask someone to describe what he means by higher standards and the real battle begins. The quickest way classify yourself as a fanatic, inflexible or harsh is to claim that a standard of conduct that should be adhered to by everybody.
Who determines acceptable Christian standards of behavior, talk and appearance? What is a standard? Is the answer simply a matter of developing a Christian dictionary of dos and don’ts and recruiting morality police to enforce them?
What are standards?
Standard comes from an Anglo-Norman that referred to a flag or banner carried into battle to supply a place for soldiers to rally. In the 15th century it took on the meaning of a "criterion" or "norm" because a person would visit the royal standard to take an authoritative measurement of weight for bartering purposes.
The person who carried the standard—the flag or banner—was called the standard-bearer. Possibly the most honored, and dangerous, position for a soldier during war was as a member of the color guard. Regiments today still have national and unit flags, which they called "standards" or "colors." In days gone by the color guard was responsible for bearing and defending the standards at all cost. In battle if the colors were captured the regiment had no point of reference, and panic and disintegration could ensue.
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