The Peace of Jesus!!!

As most of you know, my son is in the army and scheduled for his 2nd tour of duty in early 2011, this time to Afghanistan.  As his mom, I carried him in my womb, I had an immediate bond with him when they first placed him in my arms, I spent countless hours rocking and cuddling him when he got his days and nights mixed up, I acted thrilled and excited when he first came in the house so excited to bring me a pocketful of worms, I was there all through his school years, most of which were at home.  I was there when he had his tonsils removed and couldn’t swallow, for too many sports practices and events to count.  I was there through all the roller coaster years of teen life, girlfriends, friends, so-called friends, church camp, youth groups, sending him off on a couple mission trips, and finally meeting with the recruiter and signing up for 8 years of service to our country, knowing that he would eventually be sent off to some other country to fight for our freedom, mine, yours, and every other American.  

We recently heard about a fallen soldier in Owasso.  This always seems to knock the wind out of me.  This young man, turned soldier, is like my son, someone’s baby, someone did the things for him that we have done for our son, right up to sending him off to fight for us.  Some family just had their hearts ripped out of their chests.

Yesterday was his funeral and if you have read my friend, Loren's post today, you know the people of Owasso turned out for his family in a big way.  What an awesome community, a family.  You also know, that awful church group came to protest, it’s just SICK.  He died fighting for the freedom that allows these horrible people to be at and protest his funeral, something is WRONG!!  God is a God of Love and Peace and JOY, not hatred!!  How can anyone represent Him in this way???  I was just sick thinking of it all and of how. as his mom, I would feel if that were my sons funeral.  

I was really praying about it and praying for the safety of my son and all our soldiers, but I was also having a hard time not allowing myself to have hateful feelings toward these protesters, for these people who came to make a mockery of his death and so I was really praying about that too.  I was begging God to give me the love I need to have for them (not what they do), to be able to pray for them, and live in the Joy knowing that my God will WIN this battle for our freedom.

At the end of the day, I sat down to read a few blog posts and to post a book review, while doing this, I checked my facebook.  There was a post from the wife of a soldier my son was deployed with.  She had attended the funeral and taken pictures of all the people with flags lining the street. 

This is the main picture on her post labeled, “Shot this picture as the family arrived”

There was my peace, my JOY, my strength, my answer to all the prayers.  There was Jesus showing up, wrapping His arms around me, and saying it will ALL be OK.

"One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock."  Psalm 27:4-5

Counting it all Joy!!