Deployments offer prime opportunities to grow spiritually. Heading downrange presents a rucksack full of trials for you and your family. Fear often tops the list for both warrior and spouse. A host of other issues follow, each with its own unique challenge. For the warrior, challenges include loneliness, austere conditions, and difficult experiences that break your heart and bruise your soul.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident” (Psalm 27:1–3, NKJV).
On the home front, the challenges are different but just as difficult. One spouse trying to do the job of two leads to extreme fatigue and loneliness. Children act out; cars break. It can be difficult to find someone who truly understands, and who can be a confidant. Perhaps the hardest of all is not knowing the status of the warrior who is thousands of miles away and often in harm’s way.
It’s not all bad. In God’s providence, these trials provide fertile soil for growth. He calls us to respond to severe trials by trusting Him. In doing that, we grow spiritually, develop character, and become more and more the people God calls us to be. This is what the Lord has in mind.
Throughout the Scriptures, people of God have faced trials and grown in their faith. A great place to start is to focus on your relationship with God through study of His Word. Look at Psalm 27. Read verse one and consider how it applies to your life. Then read verse two. As you seek to comprehend what God is saying through the Bible, you’ll gain a sense of how much David trusted God. As you read God’s Word, your faith and strength will grow and your fears will diminish.
Many Christians have discovered that their greatest spiritual growth occurs during their biggest challenges like deployment. If deployment is imminent, why not decide now to be proactive? Plan to set aside personal time to read the Bible, pray, and give your cares to God. Enhance your preparation by buying and packing spiritual materials that will help you grow. Make up your mind that you will seek out fellowship with other believers. You will be amazed at how much you will grow even during a deployment.
The content of this article comes from “The Warrior’s Bible” (2014) and is copyrighted by Life Publishers International. Used with permission.
