Thanksgiving

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Its been a while since I've posted. I've been at home with my family, completely immersed in spending time with them, so blogging has not been my first and foremost concern. I head back to Iraq tomorrow. Its a sad and happy day here. Its sad because I'm leaving again, but its happy too because the next time we see each other I'll be done. I've been in the Army for almost 6 years now, a reservist (yeah right). We knew what we were in for. I've been either in a school, mobilized away from home or on deployment for 4 out of those six years. We have grown accustomed to it now. It is a part of our lives. One thing I have found out is that no matter how many times you leave your family in the service of your God and your country, it does not get easier. And to be quite honest that is a really good thing. I fear the day that I am ready or happy to walk away from my family. This feeling of dread that I have of leaving them is a blessing. It reminds me that I sit here in this modest home with the most important people in the world, my wife, my daughter and my son. The Kingdom of God is made of families and I have been entrusted with these here with me now. The Army is not my career, my family is and the Kingdom is. Some day the uniforms will be packed away, the deployments will be summed up in a plaque on the wall, but my family will remain. My identity is not found in being a Chaplain or an officer in the Army, but in being a follower of Jesus, a husband and a dad. And for that I am thankful. So, I'll leave tomorrow...again...but a few short months from now I'll see them again, waiting for me at the airport....and we'll come home together, back here to the place God has given us to love each other and build a life. And I am thankful for that too. So...back to work now, back to taking care of soldiers, pointing them to Jesus and the Kingdom.

Comments

J. Craig Clark said…
i love you brother! im praying hard for you and your soldiers as you finish up over there. we mobilize in feb and each day closer makes me not wanna leave that much more. thank you for the example you set as a disciple of our Jesus!

craig
11:43 PM
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