Having flown from place to place with little rest, our fatigued unit finally landed on U.S. soil. Most of my family was there to welcome me home, including my wife and a little boy I barely recognized. Painfully aware of other widows who were awaiting their husbands’ coffins, I didn’t laugh or cry.
Those first moments of reunion with my wife and little boy felt surreal. The baby who couldn’t move on his own before I left could now stand up. It reminded me why I left and why, in the Lord’s grace, I returned: to help my wife shepherd this young lamb of Jesus’ flock.
The soldier in any branch of the military knows his or her priority in serving this country is readiness. There is some carry-over for a soldier in the army of the Lord. We need to be ready. As we keep our hearts centered on Jesus Christ and what He’s done for us, we see also that there are little ones in our lives—sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, neighbor children, etc.—whom we may lead to Christ and nurture as young believers. Remember that priority!