Twenty-seven years later, I can still hear the drill commands in my head and execute them... maybe not as precisely as I once did. We drilled ad nauseam for hours on end as young Marine officers so that we could lead our troops on the parade deck. Marines are noted for their precision and sharpness at drilling and marching in formation. I still love to watch them today and it brings tears of pride and joy to my eyes as I observe each generation of Leathernecks looking just as impressive as their predecessors.
One of the tougher commands to execute and carry out perfectly is "To the rear, march!" The formation is marching in one direction at a set speed (or cadence) and given the preparatory command "To the rear." On "march", the formation, in one fluid motion, reverses course, and marches in the exact opposite direction. The Marines never get out of step and resume the same cadence and move as one. When done correctly, which Marines always do, it looks sharp and impressive.
The life lesson I get out of this is that sometimes we're going steadily on our way, heading in the wrong direction. We are living with sin in our lives and God wants us to repent. That simply means to turn around and go away from sin and toward Him. Think of it as if you're walking away from God toward the sin and you hear His voice saying, "To the rear, march!"
Now you find yourself walking away from sin and walking to God. You might want to consider double-timing it back to Him (that means RUN for all you civilians out there)!
Matthew 3:2 (NLT) - "Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."