War Stinks

Sometimes I just don’t know where to start. Yesterday we found out my cousin John will soon deploy for his second tour in Iraq. My dad is a Vietnam veteran, my uncle a Korean War veteran and my two grandfathers were WWII veterans…there are countless other friends from A&M and elsewhere that are serving now. We are no stranger to military life. I am humbled by their sacrifice and in awe of a country that allows us so many freedoms, yet we still gripe that we don’t have enough…

But, still, war stinks.

It stinks because we actually have to fight with people to be free.
It stinks because I don’t think this is what God intended.
It stinks because sometimes the people that we love don’t come home.
It stinks because shouldn’t we all just get along?
It stinks because the families left at home have a heavy load to bear, much heavier than I will ever understand.
It stinks because Washington politics trivializes the war to a 5-second sound bite.

War stinks.

In the same keystroke that I type that frustration, I also heard some sage advice from a good friend the other night. She said with each criticism we have of another person or action, that’s one more thing that keeps us from growing closer to Christ. And she’s right. So, yes, war stinks. But, prayer is powerful. Today I pray for John, and all the others, who serve our country today. And I thank God for their sacrifice. I may not like that they have to do it. But they do it because they are honorable. They do it because they love America. They do it because freedom doesn’t come free.

We love you, John. We’ll see you soon.