Freedom = Security
& Rest
Isaiah 32: 18. My
people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.
What a fitting verse as the 4th of July
approaches. Those words secure and rest stand out to me most. Look at the
definitions of these two words: secure (free from fear, care or anxiety;
certain, sure); rest (cessation of activity, peace, refreshment, relaxation,
relief from disquiet, freedom from disturbance). These sound likes reason’s we
celebrate the 4th.
As a veteran reservist of the first Gulf War, I may take a
different perspective than non-service people and even from many non-reservist service
people. You see as a reservist, you never really expect to be called to active
duty. You sign up to do your monthly weekends and two weeks a year and life
goes on. But when the papers are handed to you, calling you to active duty
because there is a war going on, fear kind of consumes you. I was blessed in
that I was not called overseas, but the fear remained that at any moment I may
have to go overseas and the feeling of insecurity always loomed overhead. I
feared the possibility of not ever seeing my family again, I feared being shot,
I feared for all the crap I had seen in the movies. The ‘what if’s’ repeated in
my head like a broken record.
I am thankful to have experienced-on a small scale- what
some of our service people experience today. In no way will I downplay or
belittle their experience to mine, since I was not deployed overseas nor did I
have to leave a spouse or children behind. But it is for those reasons I am
more thankful we have those willing to abandon a secure life to offer security
to me.
As I begin my 4th of July retreat, in undisturbed
places of rest, I will enjoy my peace and relaxation and send up a little
prayer for those providing me the security to do so.
Thank you to all the current & veteran service men, women AND families.
