Soldiers-Part Two

In the process of thinking about soldiers and battles,
I looked up many verses.
I share some here with you.

I know that in the natural
we send our young and strong into battle.
But my mother said not long ago
that the battle in her life
has been most severe
these past few years.
(And she's fought many a battle.)

She may not be going into battle these days
with offensive action,
but the battle has come to her
and she has had to use defensive action-
especially in her mind
to combat fear.

I think of those who are in their 50's and 60's.
When I was a young mom,
I used to call on women of this age
to come teach a Bible Study at our church.
So often they said that they had too much going on.
And then they'd explain that at this age,
they had aging parents to think about,
and a teenager or two to raise,
and some grandchildren to take care of,
their own health issues,
and the realization that their retirement fund
has dwindled and they still need to work.

Maybe I should have been helping them
instead of thinking they'd be available
to teach young mom's on 'how to do it all.'
And no wonder they said that they had served
their time in the nursery.
No wonder they needed a strengthening word
and a Sabbath rest when Sunday morning
finally rolled around.

It's funny, isn't it, how our perspectives change
with age. We're so quick to judge.
We're so quick to "know" people.

But every age has its challenges
and battles.
I certainly wouldn't want to face the challenges
our young people face these days.

So, really,
We must fight for each other.
We must be there for each other.
Encouragement is the word for the day.
Forget about competition and comparison.
Compassion goes a long way in every generation.
We're a family, after all.

You need my wisdom and kindness.
I need your strength and straight forwardness.
You need my failures and mercy.
I need your weaknesses and acceptance.

We're in this together,
are we not?

Well, so much for sharing verses.
I guess I just shared my soul.

Maybe this 'soldier' subject will
take up more space than I originally thought.