Back in the Field

Today we woke up early so I could take my husband to the far side of the post so he could hike into the field. His assistant had to work at Main Post Chapel, but he still wanted to go be with his men so the only way to get there was on foot. You can't just drive your own vehicle, and he's only allowed to ride in the Humvee. He can't drive himself.

As we were driving there, I got tickled looking over at him in his "battle dress" and told him I was so proud of him for giving up his day to be there for them. I love seeing him that way. He's such a manly man and seeing him in all his gear just melts my heart! Anyone who knows my husband well knows this is right up his alley. He is definitely in his element. God took a man who absolutely loves being in the great outdoors (it doesn't work so well for people in the military who don't like the outdoors!)...preaching, teaching, sharing his faith (whether it be in the church behind a pulpit, or standing wherever they can find a place in the field)...the military...and placed him in the Chaplaincy.

When we first arrived here it didn't feel much like "being in your element"...but today I can see it in his eyes. He's in a place where everything has fallen into place - where the wondering has been replaced with certainty. There is no place he'd rather be. He loved every step it took to get him here, and, sure, he misses a lot of things about the past (especially when the hunting season came and went without him...ha!) and people who were so much a part of our lives then (and always will be...we just can't spend time with them like we once did), but he knows that many of those experiences were preparation for what he is doing now. His attitude is proof of that.

I've been meditating on Philippians 2:5-8 this week and today it came to mind that my husband has been an example of these verses to me this weekend. It says: Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross! I pray God's blessings on him as he strives to set an example for the men he comes into contact with. May they be drawn to Jesus.