Born on the Battlefield

To be born into war is to forget why war began

Jesus always reminded His followers to count the cost of following Him. Missionaries are no exception. I know our parents counted the cost, and I do not doubt that they paid it gladly to be able to follow Jesus. Yet, sometimes we kids didn’t get it. Sometimes, it looked like we were paying for a price tag sticker with no item. All we knew was the draining of our wallets. We didn’t understand the mission we were paying for with our sacrifice. Sometimes we are called to step into a decision we don’t like, but I don’t believe God simply leaves us out in the cold. I don’t think very many of us understood what the precious pearl worth everything was. We simply felt overwhelmed by the struggle. Believe me, I get it. I fought with it for years. I still do sometimes. But God is bigger than it all. I believe He is the great healer, and no heart is too sick for Him to replenish.

My heart goes out daily for those I fought and bled alongside over the years. So many fallen soldiers, so many wounded comrades, so much darkness. I can barely even talk about it without getting a little stirred up. All I want is to bring some hope back. I want people to believe that God is alive, roaring like a lion. And, if He can work in me, there isn’t a single one of you that’s too far gone. 

The point of this section is to tell my stories, and highlight the things I have learned and done to be able to make it home. I don’t believe I did it in my own strength, so I will preface everything I say with a charge to pray about it. I did, however, find a few tips and tricks that have propelled me towards Christ, and recovery from some of His…more zealous fans. As time passes, I can understand more and more of where they all came from, so I’m going to do my best to be light on the bashing. I’m not here to start wars, I’m just here to tell my story, and what God has made of me.

All I want to do is tell my stories, and what I have since learned from them. I will try to scatter this throughout, but I do want it to be made clear that I am open to being wrong. If you want to offer me correction, I welcome and cherish it! I know I have rustled some feathers doing this type of thing before, but I promise to try to be a little more sparing with the harsh words. I can’t guarantee that it will never happen (after all, a knight doesn’t grab his armor and sword just for show,) but it will be a little more deliberate and calculated. 

My prayer is that you are able to chew on what I have to say. These can be tough stories to hear sometimes. To some, these stories will be cathartic. To others, these stories can be tough, because it will push on the black-and-white nature of people. Many want to believe that Christians are the good guys, and everyone else are the bad guys. Unfortunately, I will be pushing back on that idea, but also showing how I have come full circle. I still don’t agree with some of the ways things went, but I have reconciled enough to be able to understand where everyone was coming from. Honestly, I often find myself agreeing with the founding principles, just not how they were executed. Anyway, I do hope this section helps to enrich your faith and your walk with Christ. And, as always, I am always available if you want to discuss these things further. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and I look forward to seeing your comments.Until next we meet

May peace be with you.