Christian Living

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When Bombs Are Falling All Around
© 2007

by

Stephen A. Peterson

As a 21 year old Army Second Lieutenant Robbie Ducksworth remembered the day when a 16 year veteran Staff Sergeant came to the Lieutenant searching for a position in his Platoon. When Lieutenant Ducksworth asked the Staff Sergeant for his qualification, the Staff Sergeant boldly responded: “I can sleep soundly, Lieutenant, when the bombs are falling all around”.

Lieutenant Ducksworth was not certain as to what the Staff Sergeant meant but he remembered what one of his West Point instructors had told him—“A wise NCO is your person as they are the backbone of your unit. Not you!” So Lieutenant Ducksworth hired the Staff Sergeant.

While preparing to go out on a mission in the roughest part of Baghdad, Iraq, Lieutenant Ducksworth ran around frantically checking on everything only to find all the armored equipment was handed out to every Platoon member, every soldier had the necessary ammunition and food they needed to accomplish the mission, and every soldier knew their responsibilities and could boldly state it when Lieutenant Ducksworth questioned them. All was well in the Platoon in spite of Lieutenant Ducksworth’s fears and misgivings.

Then Lieutenant Ducksworth knew what the Staff Sergeant meant. The Staff Sergeant had done his job for him and the Platoon efficiently and faithfully did its assigned tasks without the Lieutenant having to worry. The Lieutenant had no need to worry when his Platoon faced whatever the enemy or the uncertainties of combat had to offer. The Staff Sergeant prepared the unit to meet any threat.

As a Christian, each person is in a battle for their faith every day! When a Christian hires Jesus Christ on as their top Sergeant, they will be able to face each day never having to worry about a thing! In order to accomplish this, three actions by Christ’s soldiers are necessary:

1. Pray unceasingly. Too often many Christians believe pray is getting down
on their knees. Okay, one may do so! However, one may pray walking to
school, the office or to the park; taking a shower; while driving to work, laying in bed. A prayer does not have to be pretty or long. It may be as short as: “Thank you, Lord, for this water”, “Thank you, Lord, for my comfortable shoes”, “Thank you, Lord, for the two-minute rain” or “”The Lord is with me. The Lord is in me.”

2. Commit to memory Scriptural verses and/or memorable song of praise.
To do these activities is a simple method for making oneself aware of God’s presence throughout the day. This also makes a person less of a sourpuss and to remember that a person is blessed in so many ways.

3. Do something to reflect God’s unconditional love and presence to others.
There are so many ways a person can reflect God and His unconditional love and presence. A few are:

a. tell someone God loves them
b. visit a sick person
c. talk to a hurting teenager
d. comfort a widow
e. give a little money to a hungry person down on their luck
f. comfort a mother or father whose child has died
g. smile and be happy

These things can help one sleep soundly when the bombs are falling all
around.

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