ChristianMilitaryWives

When you feel like your strength has run out and you are running on empty, take a look at these verses from God’s Word. There are many, many more verses about strength in the Bible, but these are some of my favorites. I have been so encouraged just putting this list together for you today, and I hope your spirits will be lifted by this as well!

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

“Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always” (1 Chronicles 16:11).

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9a).

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song” (Psalm 28:7).

“The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace” (Psalm 29:11).

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage” (Psalm 84:5).

“The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation” (Psalm 118:14).

“My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word” (Psalm 119:28).

“but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

“He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:8).

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:16-19).

“I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10).

(Written by CMW member Megan Eskew)

It’s amazing how God makes Himself known – makes His presence felt… When you go looking for Him, asking for Him to wrap you up in His arms and surround you with His peace… He’s already there. He’s been there the whole time, waiting for you to seek Him.

⁹“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:9-10)

⁷“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7).

God does not say “seek, go over the mountain and through the woods, and then you will find…” No – He says “seek & you will find.” There is no “middle-man”, no catch, no hidden map. We will find God when we seek Him, because He is already there.

I have been earnestly seeking God – the need to feel His presence – since my heart left for the desert last night… I’ve never felt so empty & yet so full at the same time.

Obviously, I am an emotional roller-coaster – lack of sleep isn’t helping – however, I still feel peace. The second my mind begins to wander, and pulse begins to quicken, and the tears well up… God is there. Holding my hand. Wrapping His arms around me. Telling me it’s going to be okay. You see, God holds my husband’s heart. And so when Austin would hold me hand, it’s now God’s. When Austin would wrap His arms around me, it’s now God’s arms. And when Austin would tell me everything’s going to be ok, God reassures me through His Word.

The tears still fall, and the ache is still there where it will remain for the next 12 months. But Austin and I both know that God will take care of our hearts while we are apart. He has a plan for both of us, and will bring us through the fire to make us stronger, make us more like who He wants us to be. The closer we draw to Him, the closer we are to each other, and the closer we are to His heart & His will.

⁹ This third I will bring into the fire;
I will refine them like silver
and test them like gold.
They will call on my name
and I will answer them;
I will say, ‘They are my people,’
and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’ ” (Zechariah 13:9)

⁶In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:6-8)

It is day one of this journey called deployment. There is a long, rigorous road ahead for Austin & I… but the One who made the rocks the road is made out of is our Guide. He is our horse to ride when we are weary and cannot walk anymore. He is our drink when our throats are parched. He is the hand that reaches out when we are about to fall. He is the firm foothold when the ground shakes. He is everything we need.

⁹But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor. 12:9-10)

²⁵“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life^[b]?

²⁸“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-34)

Living for today, remembering yesterday, and looking for tomorrow only when tomorrow comes.

I don’t focus on the “hardest day of my life” – dropping off my husband, not knowing where he will be, what he will be going through, when I will hear his voice again…. – because each day will be hard. There will be even more “hard days” ahead…. but I have peace.

⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:6-9)

The bags were packed and loaded in the car… we sat on the couch in the living room, feeling unprepared all of the sudden. The moment seems bearable until you’re in it. We immediately went upstairs and kneeled beside the bed like we have done every night, and went before the Lord in prayer. We did not speak many words – just that Austin would be protected on all sides, from physical & spiritual warfare. To be kept safe & sane, and to be prepared for what each day might bring. For the opportunities Austin will have as the only medic for his platoon, as well as the challenges he will face. And to guard our hearts & minds from the attacks of satan – to keep us both strong, not of ourselves or our own power, but through God’s alone. And to keep us close to each other.

I am so beyond grateful for & blessed by our friends & family – the unending support & love that is extending to us. I could not be doing this without you. Already, God is using you to speak to me, and encourage me. Just a short comment from dear friends does wonders.

I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much in my life – but my tears that begin from anxious thoughts, a worried mind, and a broken heart… fall with joy, peace, & comfort. Knowing that the God of the Universe who created Austin and gives him each breath is with him every step. He is planting his feet on solid ground, even when the world shakes. He is guiding his hands, healing through him, keeping him steady & even, even when the adrenaline is coursing. He is protecting his heart & mind in the midst of warfare. He is surrounding him with a Mighty Fortress.

The song, A Mighty Fortress keeps coming to me… beginning several months back, and again today through a dear friend posting a video on facebook. I did not remember the passage that this song is based off of, and went searching for it. Upon finding the verses, I remembered them vividly – the very verses that I had written on the inside of Austin’s ACU’s just days before. I will never cease to be amazed at how God loves me so much, that He will use little things in my life to remind me & encourage me.

¹ God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. ² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, ³ though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. ⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. ⁵ God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. ⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. ⁷ The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:1-7)

Day one. In my weakness, He is strong. A Mighty Fortress – a sacred refuge, unshakable.

¹ Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.

² He is my loving God and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples ^[a] under me. (Psalm 144)

I have four beautiful, healthy and  brilliant children. They consume my time and they consume my heart. Most of what I do is centered around their lives…their issues, their appointments, their character, their schooling, their health, their food, their bottoms (as in SIT on your bottom, do you prefer to obey or to have a sore bottom, or let me wipe…you know), and most of all my walk with God so that I can be available to them as a mom with her heart after God’s own heart. It is hard work, absolutely, but I still find it somewhat odd and sad that people so often focus on the number of children I have…the number one comment I receive from strangers? ‘You’ve got your hands full.’ The second favorite? ‘Are they all YOURS?’ That one makes me chuckle because I always wonder if I look like I’ve accidentally borrowed some children. Even if I had adopted any, they would still be my own children, wouldn’t they?!

Honestly, though I’ve always wanted four children, I thought I would quit after the first three. I was dog-tired. I was doing the ‘military spouse serving as a single mom with three toddlers’ grind, and my husband and I were stressed out and at odds often. All my well-laid plans to use cloth diapers, to breastfeed my babies, and to enjoy my motherhood kept getting hindered or waylaid as I switched to disposable diapers after I couldn’t keep up with a third in cloth, as my milk dried up because of  back to back pregnancies, mastitis and babies who slept too well at night (go figure). I went back and forth between making homemade baby and toddler food and scarfing Wendy’s drive thru on the way home from anywhere. I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry when I discovered that my 11-month-old son, Samuel’s, first words were, ‘thop dat!’ finger pointing and all. My conversations with my children seemed to all start and end with ‘NO’ and I was weary and angry about the loss of my dream of motherhood bliss. It wasn’t easy, beautiful, serene or fun…it was breathtakingly, tongue-draggingly, exhaustively tiring!

I’m over the ‘will I survive potty-training?’ stage, and even with a 10-month-old baby, having the older children be 9, 8 and 6 means that the baby always has doting siblings to entertain and love on him while I work or rest. We all enjoy him together and we are having so much fun! When my husband was deployed to Iraq my girls actually brought 3 year old Samuel to me, by the hand, and formally requested that I produce a baby brother for him. After all, the girls had each other and he had no one on his side. (I suspect this could have had something to do with him terrorizing their playsets). I thought that was cute, and told them that that was the kind of thing that you would take to God in prayer, that it was out of my hands. I really thought I was done at 3 children anyways, so it truly had to be an act of God! The 4 and 5  year old sisters, took Samuel by the hand and began praying for a baby brother together.

One year and nine months after Steve came home from a grueling, long deployment, God laid it on my heart to have room for another baby. I shared that with Steve and he agreed. Little did we know that I was already almost a month pregnant! When I shared the news with the children they actually remembered their prayer request from almost 3 years earlier and they rejoiced, saying, “God answered our prayers! God answered our prayers!” When I informed them it would be a boy at 20 weeks, they looked at me with some puzzlement…”But Mommy, we PRAYED for a BOY, remember?” Properly chastened at my unbelief, I reveled in the fact that their young faith had been so strong and unwavering even while I had been skeptical and unwilling. We named our baby Nathan, which means ‘God’s gift,’ and he has been an integral part of healing and unifying our family. We enjoy our sweet baby so much, but Samuel and the girls all consider Nathan to be his very own, made-to-order baby, and big brother can’t wait to share a room with baby brother. Samuel accepts ownership of his one and only prayed for brother.

So yes, in this day and age, I suppose four children is slightly unusual for two ‘educated parents.’ Many of my peers back in CA started having babies later life because of their careers, and will likely stop at the proverbial 2 or 2.5 children (whatever that may mean.) I’ve surprised most of the older generation in my family because they fully expected me to pop out two kids and go back to school or work. I am something of an anomaly or an exasperation to them, and they still ask me, ‘you ARE done having kids, aren’t you?’ I may be done, only God really knows, but I have had such peace and joy about having these four entirely individual, beautiful little people in our lives. I was given the grace to have them and to raise them, and I’m not a supermom by any stretch of the imagination. Grace has empowered me to grow with each child, and that experience may range from super-painful to super-sweet, but not super-mom! My husband and I may never become rich, famous or powerful, but I do know that we are investing and pouring what we learn as we grow into each child, with prayer and repentance all along the way. We know that God will bless that commitment and multiply the blessings that follow. We are preparing to launch them into a faith-filled, successful adulthood.

So do we have our hands full? Sure we do. I’d like to think that our quiver is full and that God’s cup runneth over!

³ Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.

⁴ Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one’s youth.

⁵ Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

Psalm 127:3-5

http://msnancyks.wordpress.com/2010/05/17/youve-got-your-hands-full/

When I was in grade school, I used to go to my father's deli/coffee shop downtown in San Francisco afterschool. Sometimes, after my homework was done, I would go down the street to a bookstore called "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place for Books," and browse and read in the aisle for as long as I could before we went home. My mom bought me my first book on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table there (which I still have), and I got hooked on my first Greek mythology there, getting lost in fantastic adventures while my parents closed up shop. That bookstore was a happy place for me, and though I don't have a lot of specific memories, I just remember going there and having peaceful, solitary moments where the wearying reality of life didn't intrude.

Last night, a guest pastor at our church spoke on weariness as the enemy's strategy to wear us down, make us lose our identity and sense of purpose. Weariness, as opposed to tiredness from a day of hard and productive work, is not alleviated by rest and a good night's sleep. Weariness is a battle for our minds so we cannot see where God's Word sustains us and guides us and we begin to trust our feelings more than God's faithfulness. This teaching brought some truth into focus for me and I was strangely reminded of that bookstore long ago.

Now, as a grown woman, I am better equipped to face the onslaught of everyday life: the needs of four children, a husband deploying yet again, friends in dire need, and family members dealing with their own trials. I don't need to go to a bookstore to find my peace...I can carry it with me now that I know my Lord more intimately. But when I don't invite Him in to my clean, well-lighted soul, and leave Him at the door, my soul darkens and my peace flees and weariness overruns my emotions. 

That happened during the first deployment which kept us apart for almost 2 1/2 years. I lost sight of God's promises and succumbed to the weariness agenda that made me lose hope and believe lies about my husband and myself. It was a dark and lonely time and it took the encouragement of friends who love me and mentors who set me straight as to the love and grace of Christ in my life. They served me and loved me and reminded gently and with their actions how God sees me and how God sees Steve. God even gave me my own bible passage that describes my husband when I prayed for one.

Now, my identity is wrapped up in the truth of who God is. Who I am doesn't matter so much, because feelings ebb and flow. But God, unchangeable, everlasting, full of goodness and mercy, HE is my peace, HE is my safety, and HE is my comfort. When I spend time with Him, in my closet, in my bed or on the couch with my kids, the light brightens, the calm magnifies, and hope envelopes us all. Then there is no room in my soul for the disarray of my fickle emotions and unreliable feelings. There is only room for Jesus, solid. And He goes with me everywhere and we have amazing adventures together!

~Nancy~

She is clothed with strength & dignity she can laugh at the days to come.

Proverbs 31:25

This must be my favorite verse in the whole Bible. Proverbs 31 goes in depth to explain what most of us strive to be. Resourceful, hard working, eager, wise, profitable, praiseworthy & due reward. But while the rest of the chapter paints this stoic, constant woman I think this verse shows the joy she ultimately holds. The joy in the strength her Savior gives, the freedom to ultimately know that her “days to come” rest in His hands. As I reflect over the past years as a military spouse I have a secret to admit (shhh, come closer) I have not always been able to laugh at the days to come! Oh dear, some days I’m far from it. When my husband was assigned his third deployment in three years there wasn’t a laugh anywhere to be had. I kicked, screamed & threw my version of an adult temper tantrum. Didn’t the Marine Corp know that 3 deployments in 3 years & 3 children in 3 years were a bit more than I could handle? Didn’t they know they had one tired spouse on their hands? Because surely while they are planning a war on Terror they can consider my feelings right? Okay, so after a dose of reality (and lots of Ben & Jerry’s) set in, it was what it was & there was no changing the fact that he was leaving. But in the midst of the sick children, bill paying, house taking care-of & mere surviving I still failed to laugh. Granted, some days there wasn’t much to laugh about & plenty to cry about. As we are on the other side of this deployment, having survived, I am realizing I missed out on a perfect opportunity to walk in the strength & dignity that the Lord has clothed me in. I missed a chance to laugh at the craziness to come, laughing not in sheer lunacy but rather in the celebration that tomorrow would be another day. I am truly saddened by the missed opportunities for growth. Now I seriously doubt I will ever celebrate a day my husband deploys but I can celebrate the opportunity for God to move, work & show up.

That’s the purpose  for starting www.shecanlaugh.com, a weekly devotional website for military spouses. For us to be constantly reminded that we labor not in vain & that we can laugh at the days to come, only by His grace. So join me each week on the adventure the Lord is ready to take us on. Let’s grow together as wives, mama’s & daughter’s of the King.

In celebration of our the little heroes in today’s military. April is Month of the Military Child.

New DVD Helps Children Deal With Deployment

By Elaine Wilson
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2010 – Defense and USO officials joined military families at the U.S. Navy Memorial here yesterday to celebrate the launch of a new DVD created to help military children cope with a parent’s deployment.

“With You All the Way” — a joint effort by the Defense Department, USO and the Trevor Romain Co. — offers school-age children help with preparing for and dealing with all stages of deployment, from pre-deployment to separation to reintegration.

“We are grateful for the dedication and creativity of people like Trevor Romain and the generosity of groups like the USO,” said Barbara Thompson, director of the Pentagon’s office of family policy and children and youth. “With [their] support, we are better able to help bridge the gap that results from months and miles of separation between children and their parents. This is no small feat and the worthiest of missions.”

The free DVD is slated to be distributed through USO centers and Military OneSource in May as part of a children’s deployment kit that also contains a stuffed bear called Cuzzie, postcards, a journal and a set of dog tags inscribed “With You All the Way.”

“The USO is devoted to supporting the military family, especially military children who aren’t able to choose their situations,” said Sloan Gibson, USO president. “Our partnership with Trevor Romain allows us to bring unique programming to these individuals, giving them resources to handle some of the tough circumstances and sacrifices that come with being a military child.”

Thompson echoed his remarks, calling the DVD a “fantastic resource.”

“The DVD helps to let [military children] know that even though it may feel like they are alone, we are with them all the way,” she said yesterday.

The DVD follows main characters Jack and Skye as they help their friends Darrell, Pablo and Brittany deal with different aspects of deployment. Darrell’s brother is preparing to deploy, Pablo’s mother has deployed again, and Brittany is adjusting to having her father back home. It also includes interviews with military families who discuss how they work to stay connected. Noted children’s author and motivational speaker Trevor Romain interacts with the characters and guides viewers through the DVD.

When faced with deployment, Thompson noted, parents and children often deal with a gamut of emotions ranging from anger and fear to worry and uncertainty.

“But something else that I know … is that together they work hard to stay connected and to work through all those feelings,” she said.

READ MORE

FROM: Operation Military Kids

FYI! From Armylive.dod I will be printing the full reoport and will write up an article about it in detail next week. 

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Impact of Multiple Deployments on Children

The new reality of repetitive deployments has led to innovative programs and policies designed to assist military children in dealing with the difficulties of deployments.  Initiatives—ranging from “flat daddies” replacing deployed soldiers at the dinner table, to senior leaders ceremoniously signing the Army Family Covenant at installations across the world, to the First Lady proposing nearly $9 billion to support military families—point to the growing concern that multiple deployments may be as stressful to Army children as they are to soldiers.  Despite the increased attention and seemingly endless resources directed at children in deployed families, however, there has been very little research examining the effects of multiple deployments on children.

In March of 2009, Leonard Wong and Stephen Gerras from the U.S. Army War College began a two-phase study to examine the effects of multiple deployments on Army adolescents.  The first phase, collected through an online survey, evaluated the perspectives of over 2,000 soldiers, 700 spouses, and 500 Army children between 11 and 17.  The second phase collected the views of over 100 Army adolescents through individual interviews at 8 Army installations throughout the U.S. 

As expected, they found that strong families—to include a non-deployed spouse who coped well with deployments—as well as ample activities such as sports to keep Army youngsters busy serve to reduce stress levels of Army adolescents during a deployment.  Surprisingly, they also found that the attitudes of Army children play a role in dealing with deployment stress and coping with a life of deployments.  Children who believed that soldiers are making a difference in the world and that the American public supported the war were significantly more likely to report that they were coping better with deployments.  The study highlights the often overlooked impact of attitudinal factors such as the influence of public opinion concerning the war and the importance—in a life marked by multiple deployments—of an adolescent’s confidence that their parent’s call to duty is worth the sacrifice.

For a free download of the full study, please visit the US Army War College Strategic Studies Institute website:http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=962.