Wheels Up- Becoming Better During Deployment

What if you could view this time when your husband is away as a time to make something better?

Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said.” (Exodus 12:31)

“Wheels up” and “underway” are terms used by military personnel to describe that time when the plane is in the air or the ship is out to sea. Now the deployment countdown can really begin. For Moses and the Israelites the term could have been “Roll out” to mean it was time to roll the wheels of the carts out of Egypt and into the desert.

A core theme of the journey the Israelites took out of Egypt is that of leaving an undesirable situation for one that is better.1 You may say, “I don’t need to leave an unacceptable situation and go to something better. I certainly do not see deployment that way. Deployment is the undesirable situation!”

I get it! But, what if you could view this time when your husband is away as a time to make something better? Is there anything you can leave—something you are accustomed to that you could improve? Might this be a time to become healthier? Could you use some of the extra deployment pay to pay off debt? What special memories can you make with your children? In other words, what can you do that does not just pass the time, but actually brings improvement to your life?

Historians record the exodus as the time when the Hebrews gained their freedom. While that is true, their exit was not to gain freedom for freedom’s sake. Their exit was to gain freedom to worship and serve the Lord.2 Their exit gave them an opportunity to expand the name of the Lord.3 Their exit was an opportunity for God to teach them about himself and their relationship with him.4

Respond

Consider planning your own “Wheels Up/Underway” Day. Make the day of departure a day to do something positive. Start “Day One” with a good choice. How might deployment be a time to make a major positive change in your life? In a spiritual sense, how might you serve the Lord during this time of deployment? How might you “expand the name of the Lord” during deployment?

Prayer for the Journey

Lord, let this time of deployment for me and other military sisters be a time of growth. Show me areas where I can become stronger in my character and in my faith. Amen.