When 9/11 happened I wanted to find a way to join a Christian group that would let me be a conscientious objector. I felt all people including the solders were evil for allowing war.
I felt like our retaliation was not to protect our shores our people or our values, but to show them we were bigger and BADDER. In my mind there was no way this was good. Protection good. Seeking a fight not so much.
I thought. What happened to turn the other cheek? What happened to love thy enemy? Hello..... Forgiveness? In my head choosing to fight was bad.
Then I went to my church. We prayed for peace. We held hands. We cried. And I was even more angry at sending young people to war. I was more angry at US then THEM.
The very next Sunday our pastor was out of town ((I went to a small very liberal church) and we had a fill in pastor. A GASP baptist one. If I had known I would have probably stayed home or went to another church.
I was awed. I was in tears. She read a little from the bible then stepped down from the pulpit and talked about the anger we felt. She talked about the soldiers.
Not politics not war. But people. Told a few stories of choices that some people made to fight. Again. Not politics. Not party line not oil or money put people. She said some times some people fight so others can stay home to work on everlasting peace. I thought wow. They are fighting to protect me so I can learn to protect them .
Communion came and at our church several people would serve communion after the pastor blessed it. You received the bread and wine alone or with family and you received a prayer and blessing with the pastor or the server .. That Sunday for some reason I went up alone. The pastor served me. Held me with one arm and another arm laid her hand on my head. She prayed to God to protect my gentle spirit and to guide me to heal. For God to keep my spirit gentle and not let it harden. To give me strength to help others see God's gentleness and love. I was transcended from the space and time we were in. I felt God's power and love coming through this pastors arms and hands. I returned to my seat in tears. For the first time in years I wanted an alter call.
Later that day, at dinner after church I was sharing how amazing I thought her communion prayer was. They all said they though she was generic. Kind of yadda yadda. Dear God help so and so not be scared. I thought how except through God did she see me ......heart and soul?
I also remember she said some fight for glory, some for money or power. Some for politics or their political lead... But others. The special ones are protectors of the small.
I'll never forget that sermon and most of all the prayer or blessing she have me.
I see the war images now and TV , the internet, face book, AOL...every where...and still get angry and hurt.. And then some how a certain soldier's image will catch my eye heart and soul. And I think "that one is there for me." I can't let them down. I can't stop studying , if they are called to fight I'm called to study people and spirit so they can "fight forever no more"
Amen
This helmet belongs to a young friend of mine from my days of working at McDonlads's. She worked with us many yours so she could volunteer to save lives.
Not to long ago she joined the National Guard and and is some where "over there" and a fire fighter and medic. Protecting the protectors.
She sent me this picture not long after she went through training and became a full fledged fire fighter and medic. She sent it to me and said it was to bring me luck and to put it on my phone screen saver so that my thinking of her would bring her luck when she was out saving lives.
She was wearing the helmet daily when she proudly took the picture. Now it hangs in wait as a silent prayer of her safe return.
I recently felt the call or need if you will to put it back on my phone. I hope that is not a sign she is unsafe. So please join me in prayers for "number 77" and all your personal protectors.
My "number 77" is a true protector of the small.
Peace love and prayers on the closing hours of this veterans day.
6 comments:
Well said. As much as I am anti-war in this instance, I am not anti-soldier. Anyone brave enough to put their life on the line to protect me and my family, be it a police officer, soldier, fire fighter, etc, should be given great respect and be a focus of our prayers quiet often.
I agree that even though we often engage in wars for ulterior motives (political gain, retaliation, etc.), it's important to remember it's not the soldier doing this. They are merely doing their job - doing what they think is the right thing to do - with genuine motivation and a clear conscience.
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Very moving, Carrie!
I am 100% in agreement with Jamie - I'm generally anti-war (although I have been known to acknowledge some as the lesser evil and probably the only option, however regrettable), but I am completely pro-soldier. These folks have opted to take on a dirty job for my benefit, and I am deeply grateful.
Reading this piece, I kept flashing on the verse "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." It may be naive to think that love is what motivates every soldier to join up - society is too complicated for that - but I think it would be helpful if we could see the Christ-ness that is present intentionally or otherwise in our men and women in uniform. Perhaps we would be better able to live out our gratitude 365 days a year, instead of just declaring a legal holiday in which the retail industry benefits as much or mote than our veterans.
What if we really tried to live peaceably with our fellow human beings and at least try to put an end to war? What if we welcomed our soldiers home with jobs and counseling to help them re-integrate into civilian life and enjoy the benefits of the society they risked their lives to protect? Parades and medals are nice, but they don't pay the bills and they don't ease the PTSD.
Jesus said "In that you have done it unto the least of these who are my brothers and sisters, you have done it unto me." Let's see Christ in our soldiers, and show our gratitude as the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer suggests "not only with our lips but with our lives."
This is really tough for me. I'm not a pacifist but I really don't support us invading other countries and starting a war or some other kind of battle. I don't think it's our right to force our form of government on other people. Our way is the way I chose to live and I love it (for the most part!) but it's not for everyone.
I support the soldier BUT the current day soldier (because we are not in a draft) knows what they're signing up for and is basically signing up for going to war. I know two people close to me who are currently active duty and a few more who are reservists. The one active duty is a Captain in the Air Force and is overseas doing airdrops to act as support. He's an Air Force lifer and he's only in his late 20's. That is Karen's nephew. The other is my brother's girlfriend's son. He joined the Army this year. He didn't know what to do with his life and his mom told him he had to do "something." She was really upset when he signed up.
Things are different now, in that things have cooled down in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are mostly rebuilding and pushing our form of democracy on them. What about Africa? Libya isn't the best place to be right now. Korea isn't the best place, either.
Anyway, I support the fight for our freedom. I support the person who is putting theirself out there. My dad was in the Army, in Vietnam and HATED it. He suffered a lot from it, from PTSD to medical issues (cancer, diabetes, effects of Agent Orange...) He was drafted and that's the only reason he was there. He loves our country, but I wouldn't say he's a 'proud vet.' He WILL NEVER wear an Army t shirt or hat and will never have their emblem on anything he owns. He did because he was forced to do it. He said that he didn't go on trips during his time off (while over in Vietnam) because he thought me might go AWOL.
So...I support the person but wonder why they sign up for war???
I don't claim to understand why the US has went to war over the years. I think everyone has their own opinion as to why the Gulf/Iraqi war was fought and I really don't believe it boils down to just 1 or 2 reasons. I support any US soldier who fights for our country. We elect our government officials to lead us and their decisions that they think best for the US. It has got to be a hard position to be put in and whether you support the current or past presidents, I don't believe they choose war lightly.
No one wants any family member shipped to foreign lands to fight but it is necessary. And sometimes "WE" do need to prove we are bigger and badder.
(For 2 days I have been trying to put together an example, a thought process to try to explain my point-still not coming up with it in full but here goes....I think you will get my meaning Carrie)---Think back to when you were a kid on the playground and another kid wanted your candy. If you were weak or small the bigger or meaner kid could easily beat you up and take it. Sometimes the kid with the candy just needs to make a big "bluff" or "show" in order to intimidate any threat to him. The meaner kid will think twice before attempting to take what isn't his. Or maybe the kid with the candy isn't going to protect himself and another kid knows that the bully will harm him. So the US steps in front of the bully and says leave him alone. Sometimes you got to protect what is yours and sometimes you gotta help the weak out and protect him from getting attacked.
Do I agree with every detail of every war? No. Do I think it is necessary to fight? Yes. Sometimes you have to be a protector of the small. Love thy enemy, not when they want to annihilate me, my family and my country (in which we can have discussions and blogs such as these). Turn the other cheek? Why? So they can slap my other one? And forgiveness is a wonderful think except it is a 2 way street. You can have forgiveness for someone or something but we should/could never forget. Forgiveness is only effective when the other party doesn't hurt me again. I can forgive you when you say mean things ONCE. But if you continue should I keep forgiving you? When a spouse is abusive over and over do you stick with that person and forgive over and over? Or does it come to a point where you say ENOUGH!
I have always lived in the US. I have never had to experience the terror, pain, stress of living in a country where the government has it's own personal agenda (you may argue that our government officials are this way and while I will agree that some ARE crooked, they do want what is best for the US as a whole) and if we have to fight to protect OUR way of life, to keep the future safe for our kids, to be able live free, then if war is what it takes I say "HOOAH!"
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