My Veteran

On this Veteran's Day I recognize how personal the holiday can be.  You see I have been married almost 34 years (though have shared almost 40 years of my life) to my veteran.  I have watched him serve his country with all the passion that makes him the champion I love.  He is my hero.  He champions those who need a crusader.  He worked hard to teach those who served under him how to live not just survive.  His humor providing needed breathing spots.  Each year he served he shared the best of him and the worst of him to help mold others to serve with distinction.  Now retired 8 years I watch him continue to be a champion and a hero.  He still looks out for the underdog.  He still calls the bluff of the one who is attempting to shirk responsibility (whether corporate or personal).  He still seeks to bring about a better world.

I cannot help but think about the other families of veterans, living or deceased.  Each family has a unique story as does each veteran.  So many so broken.  So many overcoming brokenness to live heroic lives.  So many in need of support and encouragement to travel the path to healing and wholeness.  Some very lost and need to be found.

Then I hear Jesus Christ who healed the sick and wounded, who travels with us along the path to healing and wholeness, who stood in the meeting place in Nazareth and proclaimed the year of the Lord's favor, the Reign of God, the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, calling us to live out that Kingdom through our lives by seeking out those who are lost, by bringing those in need of healing to the places where they can receive the guidance to be healed.  The peace of Christ is like no peace humankind can negotiate.  It is a peace that begins in the heart and extends out into the world through the love of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit.  When that peace reigns, war will be no more.  In Revelation we are told the Kingdom will come and there will be no more death, no more sickness, no more tears.  It is my prayer that until that time, we who can will extend the heart of Christ to those who are in need of heart healing, reach out and touch the brokenhearted, that the peace of Christ may transform the world.

Those who stand in gaps we cannot fathom are heroes.  Our veterans have stood in gaps, their families have stood in gaps. Christ calls us to stand in the gap until he comes again.

Thank you - all of you who have served and stood in gaps.
One of Many