My husband and I went to an out-of-town wedding a few weeks back. After settling into our 4th-floor hotel room, we decided to explore the area and hopped on the elevator. When the elevator dinged on the third floor, a young man stepped on wearing a black T-shirt with a picture of a Spanish Fleet ship reading “Burn the Ships.” I love to read any and everything, including T-shirt phrases, and this one intrigued me. I glanced at John, who was shaking his head, NO. After many years of marriage, he should know that when he does that, it only makes me want to ask more. Besides, I’m a writer. My books are based on the obnoxious questions I ask. So, I pushed forward. “Cool Shirt. What does it mean?”
A slight smile moved across the young man’s face. I’ve found that when a person wears a shirt with a phrase on it, they usually WANT you to ask about it. He was happy to respond. “The phrase refers to Cortés. After finally reaching his goal of arriving in the New World with six hundred men, he asked his men if they were still committed to the cause. When they answered Yes, he told them to “Burn the Ships.” This made their commitment complete and left no room for doubt. There was no other option; they would never return to their homeland. They could only move forward and make this new world their home.
I thought about that phrase throughout the day. And, if I’m being honest, many times since then. We are a generation that struggles to commit. We have a hard time even RSVPing to events and even more sticking to long-term commitments. “Let’s just see what happens,” or “I’ll do this/that until it’s time to do something else” has become our standard of living. The thought of doing something we can’t “get out of” is unheard of. Still, those moments in life are placed at our feet that require the decision to “Burn the Ships.”
THE REST OF THE STORY:
Fast forward from my revelation moment in the elevator to the beautiful Cathedral wedding the next day. The processional music begins, and the young man from the elevator is the priest officiating the wedding. John and I looked at each other and said, “Burn the Ships.” The priest knew the significance of wearing that shirt on a wedding weekend. It was exactly what that special couple was doing—committing to one another for the rest of their lives. Let us all try harder to re-commit to the things that are most important to us. And, for a bit of fun, wear T-shirts with thought-provoking phrases that make others ask what they mean.
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