Okay so this hit me after coming home from the rifle range today. As I sat driving home the lyrics just washed over me and it hit me. The truth of the matter is that we all have "Beautiful Scars" and our job as Christ Followers is to allow Jesus to use those scars to minister to the needs and wounds of others. With that said I'm going to now direct this blog toward the crowd which I believe Jesus intends to use me for.
It's my guess that most veterans don't believe in God, but for me I do...... I 100% believe in God and that he can use anything that we've been through or experienced in our life for good. I spent a few years wondering and thinking why did I go through all of my experiences in Iraq ? Why did it have to happen at all ? Why did it happen to me ? I realize now those questions don't matter at all and what matters now is "How can I use my experiences to help others ?"
The reality is that many veterans who've been deployed have seen or done things that can cause issues for years to come. Myself was wounded by an I.E.D. and after my tour I crawled into a bottle for almost 6 months. The P.T.S.D. and T.B.I. aren't easy to deal with on your own...... they suck! I spend years thinking that I was okay, that I didn't need help, and then one day the realization struck me. I remember that day just as well as the day I was injured in Iraq.
There is hope, there is healing, there is love, and there is redemption from our experiences of war. I dare you to think there is not because what God has done in my life is proof that there is hope, there is healing, there is love, and there is redemption. War is ugly I get that and I can't imagine what some veterans are struggling with in terms of P.T.S.D. or T.B.I. and honestly this is the hand that is reaching back. I know some of you have been cursed out, thrown out, left for dead, and forgotten about. This veteran that is sitting here typing away this blog post wants to be there for those who are ready to be done with the pain, the memories, the nightmares.
I know that when some people read this they will probably not be happy with what I'm writing and so be it, but the truth is that there is hope and healing from the combat that we've experienced. The healing process has begun for all of us and now its our job to get well for those who need us. Our families, our friends, our significant others, and our spouses.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqH6dt0H0kc
© Nathan Fahlin
