HOPE IN THE DARKNESS
For over 200 years, the brave men and women of our armed forces have answered the call to serve their country. The phrase “Thank you for your service” has become commonplace, as the media and politicians have become accustomed to highlighting the tremendous sacrifice that service members and their families are asked to make in the defense of this nation. While this is positive, veterans need and deserve much more than just people greeting them at the airport upon returning from a deployment and thanking them for a job well done.
Underneath the brave exterior of body armor, uniform, and weapons, deep inside many veterans there is a feeling of darkness. For some, this darkness manifests itself in the form of despair and hopelessness, perhaps as a result of losing a limb or eyesight and feeling like life is unfair and they now have nothing to offer their country or their family because of their newly acquired disability. For others, darkness may take the form of sadness and grief from losing a battle buddy, or maybe guilt if the service member thinks that they should have died instead of their friend. Still others experience feelings of doubt or anger, as they try to reintegrate with their families after being gone for long periods of time but are not sure what their role is since their family has had to adapt in their absence. There are even those whose darkness manifests itself as fear and loneliness, as they struggle with constant nightmares about their experiences and believe that life no longer has any meaning and they just want to be left alone.
As bad and insurmountable as these feelings of darkness may seem, the great news is that there is hope in the darkness. This hope has a name and it is Jesus Christ. The Armed Services Ministry of the American Bible Society has a team of Chaplains and veterans who have found their way through the darkness and want to share this hope with others through a free program called God Understands. It is an eight-part study, composed of Scripture and the testimonies of real veterans, who share how the Word of God brought them through their trials and restored hope in their lives. If you or someone you know needs to find hope, you can learn that God Understands what you’re going through at https://www.godunderstandsmilitary.com.
