“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:  A time to be born And a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted….A time to weep, And a time to laugh; …A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time of war, And a time of peace.”  Ecc 3:1-2, 4a, 6b, 8.

I can’t think of a more appropriate verse to describe the life of a military wife!  We have all had to “plant” in a new location, have had to uproot and move, had the joy of cleaning out those cupboards we’d rather forget about, made those important decisions as to which of the hundreds of pieces of children’s artwork to keep and which to part with.  For many of us we have endured long periods of separation due to the deployments which are now commonplace in our military.  The life of a military wife is not an easy one and not for the fainthearted.

While I have always looked ahead to that time when our family would live a life separate from the military, one where there would be some stability and predictability in our life, God has been challenging me in recent years to see that the time now is one of spiritual growth and stability in Him.  Until our last posting I had very little to no contact with other military Christians, preferring to worship at churches in the local community and make friends through that avenue.  While that has had great rewards, once again the Lord has been challenging me to look in my own backyard.  I was neglecting the very mission field that the Lord had placed me in…the military.  If we, who understand the complexity of life connected to the military aren’t fellowshipping with and encouraging other believers and reaching out to others in that same environment, who is?

Do we have the revelation that this life that we are living is God ordained and is His plan for us, that God is using it to grow us into His likeness?  Are we willing to embrace the unique mission field that the Lord has placed us in?  Do we have the courage of Sarah, Ruth, Rebekah, Esther and many others in the bible to leave behind all that we know and love and go to a place that the Lord is sending us?  Can we be excited that the 6 month deployment our husbands are going on is an opportunity for us to grow closer to the Lord learning to rely on Him for all our needs?  Do we really trust?  Do we really believe that Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” applies to our life in the military?   Do we really desire to be women who follow hard after God?  I know I do, but there was always this thorn in the flesh…my husband’s job!!

Are we willing to meet with and encourage other military Christian wives in their walk with the Lord, remembering that:   “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour.  For if they fall one will lift up his companion….Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.  And a threefold cord is not easily broken.”  Ecc 5:9 – 10, 12.  The life of a military wife is so much easier when there are others to share the load with.  Can I encourage you to seek out another wife, give her a hug and some words of encouragement and ask her how you can help her in her spiritual walk?