Soldier On

 I was never in the military. I could say it’s because I have flat feet, but in all fairness, the idea of spending months on end in a desert somewhere trying to fend off sunstroke and stomach bugs while being shot at by men whose idea of romance is not beating their wives before dinner but after, didn’t appeal to me.

Yes, I’m generalizing. Yes, I’m stereotyping. Then again, I said nothing about goats, so you have to give me a little credit for my self-restraint. The point isn’t the medieval mindset the West is trying to win over with fried chicken and rainbow flags. The point is that if you enlist, get through basic training, and come out the other side whole, then your expectations won’t be for umbrella drinks and fancy dinners. You signed on to serve and obey your commanding officer's orders, watch your platoon’s back, defend the homeland, go where you’re told to go, and do what you’re told to do.

The best you can hope for is that you don’t get deployed somewhere where everyone hates you and wishes you dead. Christians don’t have that luxury. Our deployment is guaranteed to be somewhere we are hated and targeted because as long as we are here, we are behind enemy lines, and the devil knows we’re on his turf.

Maybe it’s because our mommas told us we were special that we think we deserve to be treated with kid gloves and make sure that every itch, rash, hangnail, or blister is lovingly tended to, bandaged, and for our inconvenience and distress we are given leave for at least a year. Neither you nor I were conscripted or drafted; we volunteered. Christ asked who would follow, you said I, and so did I, and from that point forward, your life was no longer your own. You no longer belonged to yourself. You no longer belonged to the world. You belonged to Him and promised to faithfully obey for the rest of your days.

If you wanted easy, you should have gone to a spa and gotten their exfoliating package with the cucumber mask. You signed on to be a soldier, so soldier on. This isn’t tough love; it’s just the way it is. You thought today was tough? Get ready for tomorrow; it’ll be a bruiser. The day after doesn’t look so hot either, but no matter how bad it gets, you have a predetermined exfil date that your General has marked on His calendar, and when that day arrives, come what may, your General will be true to His word, and your work will be done.

You don’t have to line up every morning to inquire when your discharge papers are due to arrive. You’re done when the fight is done, and hopefully, you’ve built enough trust in your General that you keep fighting, pushing, preaching, and praying until He calls you.

This isn’t a picnic; this is war, and if you haven’t come to terms with that reality, then what follows will cause you many a sleepless night. Today’s church whines more than the French, and that’s saying something. When can we be done? When He says you’re done. When can we leave? When He decides it.

I love you. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t, but how many times do you need to get deflated and have your hopes dashed on the rocks of reality before you start listening to Jesus and believing His words over the words of people who cry out “Look, He is here, Look He is there” every other month?

2 Timothy 2:3, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

There it is, in the Book, full stop!

But you don’t understand. Life’s hard; I’m tired, my feet hurt, and nobody listens. Welcome to the club, soldier; you’re not alone. You’re not the only one whose soul is vexed, but quitting is not an option. If you desire to be a good soldier, you must endure.

If you lack strength, pray for strength, and He will give you strength. If you lack boldness, pray for boldness, and He will give you boldness. If you lack faith, pray for faith, and He will give you faith. But we don’t pray for these things. All we pray for is that He take us away. As the eighties ballad so aptly put it, we don’t want to fight no more, and we’re looking for any opportunity to call a truce with the devil in order to get our way.

Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

But Lord, you don’t understand; there are giants in the land. And? He promised He would be with you wherever you go. He will stand beside you no matter who you will have to face. Be strong and of good courage. Be neither afraid nor dismayed because God has never lost a fight.

If need be, while we’re busy whining, the stones will cry out in our stead. Perhaps that’s what it will take for us to be shamed into action. Maybe that’s what it will take for the soldiers of the cross to actually do some soldiering and not live off the stories, testimonies, and victories of those who have already gone to their reward.

It’s when the children of God are silent that the devil can spread his lies. It’s when the children of God stop fighting that the enemy can gain a foothold. It is not our duty to stare at our navels, waiting for the end. Our duty is to fight the good fight, keep the faith, and finish our race. Everybody wants a crown, but nobody wants to do anything for it. Sorry, not sorry, that’s just not Biblical!

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.