IN WAR...I WILL TRUST AND NOT BE AFRAID
July 29, 1970 ended our son's forty-day leave. Within hours he would board a plane for Nha Trang, Vietnam. I stood at the bedroom door as he put on his army uniform. Our son -- only three weeks after he became engaged to Marie -- was off to war. I blinked back tears. Butch forced a smile with, "Dad, take care of my girls," meaning his
mother and Marie. I nodded, unable to speak.
The phone rang. Ruby answered, then beckoned to me "That was the surgeon at the hospital ," she whispered. "It's about that lump in my breast. They won't know if it's cancer until after the biopsy. Should we tell Butch?" I shook my head.
Our son left and my wife went into the hospital. Despair swept over me as I imagined the worst: Butch returning in a box and Ruby losing a downhill battle with cancer.
I went outside and stared at our giant oak. Soon the leaves would turn fiery gold. When the oak was bathed in color, the leaves would tumble, and the tree would be bare. Yet spring would bring new life. To most trees, but not all. When their time came, trees died, the same as people. I knew what I must do -- trust in the Lord...trust all my seasons to Him. The tumor turned out to be benign. One year later our son returned,
with new lines etched in his face and terrible experiences etched in his mind. But he was alive. He was home again. I trusted our Father and he had blessed us with another spring.
* Heavenly Father, at times we cannot understand why you allow wars and conflicts on earth. It's really beyond us, Lord. Forgive us if we ask by what mysterious judgment do you allow the innocent ones to die? We cannot know. We can only find assurance in the promise that in all things You work for the good of those who love You, all who are called according to Your plan. And so, wherever our war may find us -- in the hospital, in the battlefield, in our heart -- we will trust and be not afraid. We shall bear our griefs with gratitude. Just as we accept our joy without question. For You are our shelter and our refuge. And great is Your faithfulness, O Lord.
July 29, 1970 ended our son's forty-day leave. Within hours he would board a plane for Nha Trang, Vietnam. I stood at the bedroom door as he put on his army uniform. Our son -- only three weeks after he became engaged to Marie -- was off to war. I blinked back tears. Butch forced a smile with, "Dad, take care of my girls," meaning his
mother and Marie. I nodded, unable to speak.
The phone rang. Ruby answered, then beckoned to me "That was the surgeon at the hospital ," she whispered. "It's about that lump in my breast. They won't know if it's cancer until after the biopsy. Should we tell Butch?" I shook my head.
Our son left and my wife went into the hospital. Despair swept over me as I imagined the worst: Butch returning in a box and Ruby losing a downhill battle with cancer.
I went outside and stared at our giant oak. Soon the leaves would turn fiery gold. When the oak was bathed in color, the leaves would tumble, and the tree would be bare. Yet spring would bring new life. To most trees, but not all. When their time came, trees died, the same as people. I knew what I must do -- trust in the Lord...trust all my seasons to Him. The tumor turned out to be benign. One year later our son returned,
with new lines etched in his face and terrible experiences etched in his mind. But he was alive. He was home again. I trusted our Father and he had blessed us with another spring.
* Heavenly Father, at times we cannot understand why you allow wars and conflicts on earth. It's really beyond us, Lord. Forgive us if we ask by what mysterious judgment do you allow the innocent ones to die? We cannot know. We can only find assurance in the promise that in all things You work for the good of those who love You, all who are called according to Your plan. And so, wherever our war may find us -- in the hospital, in the battlefield, in our heart -- we will trust and be not afraid. We shall bear our griefs with gratitude. Just as we accept our joy without question. For You are our shelter and our refuge. And great is Your faithfulness, O Lord.
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