A Good Soldier

Photo by Raul Luna, found at: https://flickr.com/photos/superman_ha_muerto/4640359494/

3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 2 Timothy 2:3-4

I have so many things for which to be thankful. I cannot possibly fit them all into one post, so I am going to write a few posts this month about things for which I am grateful.

Since today is Veteran’s Day, I am feeling so blessed to live in this country. I am so thankful for the brave and selfless members of the military who have or are currently serving around the world to promote freedom and provide protection for so many. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Each year on Veteran’s Day, our school hosts a breakfast for local veterans and current members of the military. I love how our students sit so respectfully, applaud so enthusiastically, and perform so beautifully to honor all those who have served.

Today, the guest speaker at the assembly, Mike Nichols, spoke about his experiences and some of the lessons he learned from his time in the service. He spoke about working as a team to achieve goals, about how important it was to sleep when he could, about how he learned to appreciate times of waiting, and about being given opportunities to do things outside of his comfort zone. One of the other organizers also spoke about the sacrifices military men and women and their families make when they are deployed and away from home. I can easily see how all of these ideas relate to our spiritual battles.

I realize that we, too, are called to be like soldiers in our Christian walk. In 2 Timothy, Paul charges Timothy to suffer “like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Soldiers must put their own comfort aside in order to fulfill their orders. Soldiers are away from home, where food, clothing, and housing are functional but not luxurious, and where they are sometimes in extremely difficult and dangerous places. And because of their willingness to suffer, the rest of us enjoy the peace and freedom to live in comfort every day.

Am I willing to put aside my own comfort to follow Christ? Am I willing to put the needs of others before my own and suffer so that others will know the Lord and reap the benefits of knowing Him?

Paul also encourages Timothy to stay focused on pleasing his commanding officer and not to be distracted by the affairs of the world. Soldiers understand how important it is to obey their orders, and they know that they cannot afford to become distracted and drawn away from carrying out those orders. When there is a mission to complete, the only way to please the commanding officer is to successfully complete that mission.

I don’t know about you, but that challenges me. I get tangled up in distractions every single day! It is difficult to always be working toward the mission of sharing the gospel of Christ with those around me without getting sidetracked and thrown off course.

So today, I thank God for all those who have served in the United States armed forces. Thank you for your sacrifices. Thank you for protecting the freedoms we hold so dear and making it possible to live the life I live. And I thank you for setting an example of how to serve. May God richly bless you!

Precious Lord, please be with all of those who are currently serving in the armed forces all over the world. Draw near to them when they are lonely. Keep Your hand of protection upon them when they are in danger. Grant them victory over those who seek to harm them. And be very near to their loved ones who anxiously await their return.