A few minutes after 7 a.m. on December 7th, 1941 Lt. Kermit Tyler, an Army fighter pilot was manning the aircraft tracking center near Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. He received a phone call from a nearby radar station. Two army privates watching a radar screen informed him of a large group of approaching planes. It was Tyler's second day on the job. He wasn't sure of the equipment or his job. He made a judgment call as to the seriousness of the information and said 4 fateful words, "Don't worry about it." The radar had picked up the first wave of the Japanese bombers and fighters who began arriving over Pearl Harbor at 7:55 a.m. and devastated Battleship Row, plunging the United States into World War 2. The words and poor judgment would haunt Kermit Tyler until his death this week at the age of 96. That's a long time to realize you got it wrong....dead wrong.
The warning signs of impending catastrophe and trouble are often difficult to discern and understand. The prudent and wise take heed and prepare. The foolish press on into harm's way and ignore all notes of caution and warning. We live in perilous and challenging times and many are issuing warnings to prepare for massive challenges ahead. Today, I am praying for the ability to heed the warning signs of impending trouble. I choose not to take the easy course. I don't want to be remembered by others as providing a false sense of security and poor counsel. When it comes to matters of life and death, "Don't worry about it" is the most hateful thing anyone could ever say.
Jim
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