Faith and Deployment

Our church family praying for us before Nate's deployment began.

I received the nicest note from a friend this morning.  She said she was praying for my husband and my family and asked what specific prayers she could lift up for us.  It was such a wonderful way to start my day and started me thinking of all the many prayers I have for my husband and our sons, and for our Soldiers and their Families.

Safety and protection from harm are always first on my list for our Soldiers.  Patience and peace are top for our Families.  And for our children, I pray that they will have the resilient ability to find joy in all things.  It's not easy to wait for your Soldier to return, and even more difficult to find joy in that situation.  My sincere hope and prayer is that each Family is able to find the strength and faith to thrive in their current situation and find joy in the honor and courage that service to our country demands.

How to do this?  I can say for certain that I honestly don't know.  Sometimes I feel that I can breeze through situations with all the faith in the world and other times I'm not sure I could even spell the word "f-a-i-t-h" much less exhibit it.  No matter what, I do have a certain bag of 'faith tricks' that help remind me of God's enduring faith in me. 

First, my relationship with my husband is a clear expression of enduring patience, forgiveness, and love.  I am forever thankful that God chose my husband for me and that He stands by us, embracing us through our commitment to one another. 

Two, my family is a gift that not only shaped me from birth, but continues to add to my sense of self and worth.  From my birth  and step- parents to my siblings to the family I inherited upon marriage, I am so appreciative for this group of people who always constitute "home" to me.

Three, my church family is an amazing group of godly people that continuously lift me up and remind me of God's love through their sincerity and kindness.  I am gratified by their presence in my life.

Four, no matter my circumstance, my God always places people in my life to encourage and support me.  I am so grateful for a lifetime of friends and colleagues that are always in the right place at the right time.

My sister-in-law, Carole Ann, gave my sons this photo frame that contained a wonderful reminder of Nate's service and sacrifice.  It hold a photo of Nate in full battle gear (from a past deployment) and is displayed on a bookshelf between the boys' rooms.  I see it daily and it is another reminder of God's faithfulness to us in all circumstances.

It reads,


My Dad is a Soldier

He is STRONG and
COURAGEOUS
because God is with him
wherever he goes.
The Lord will never leave
my dad or forsake him.
Joshua 1:9,5

GOD WILL
STRENGTHEN HIM
AND HELP HIM:
He will uphold my dad
with his righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

The battle isn't my dad's,
but it is God's.
II Chronicles 20:15b

MY DAD TRUSTS IN THE LORD
WITH ALL HIS HEART ...
AND GOD WILL DIRECT HIS PATHS.
Proverbs 3:5-6

I LOVE MY DAD.

All told, I have quite an arsenal of prayer support in my life and for that, I am truly blessed and thankful.