13 Lost Lives
Having a retired Colonel as a boss and your own father as retired military certainly gives you a greater appreciation of those who have served our country. These great men served and then retired with honors. Both are passionate and proud of their time spent in the military.
I have close friends who agonized over their sons and daughters going into the military in years past. Many prayers were sent up during the time they served, and thankfully, they had a happy ending as my friend’s sons and daughters all returned home safely.
As things escalated in Afghanistan recently, I’ve watched my boss struggle daily. He posts his own thoughts on his Facebook page, so there is no doubt where he stands on this subject. It has certainly been a devastating blow to the United States of America. We have been shaken to our core due to the lives lost and American’s left behind in Afghanistan. Senselessly, 13 lost lives due to a suicide bomber. Thirteen beautiful individuals set out to serve their great Country, and they lost their lives at the hands of pure evil!
Scrolling through Facebook last night, I couldn’t help but see Nikki Haley re-sharing pictures of the fallen soldiers. She re-shared a look into four lives; however, all 13 were shared on Stand For America‘s Facebook page. I sat reading about each of these heroes. Looking at their pictures, with them smiling and in uniform, made my heart hurt deeply! It is one thing to “hear” of such a tragedy occurring, and yet another to put faces with the numbers reported to have lost their lives. Thank you, Stand For America, Nikki Haley, and others, for sharing so the world could learn more about these beautiful soldiers.
SSgt Taylor Hoover was the oldest among them at 31 years old. He had plans to marry when he returned. Oh my gosh, this gripped my heart and felt as if someone was trying to pull it out of my chest! My oldest daughter will marry the love of her life in 18 days. I cannot begin to imagine the devastation felt by his fiancée and their families.
All of the soldiers are important, please don’t get me wrong. I am only sharing the thoughts that went through my head as I saw their faces and read their stories!
My heart shattered to learn the others ranged from 20 years old to 25 years old. Babies!! These were all someone’s babies. My heart shattered more each time I read about their lives. Life had only just begun for them. They were out on their own in this cruel world as their mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers were back at home praying for them and their safety. Oh the sheer horror and terror they – and their families – must have felt as they watched this unfold at the Kabul airport. I cannot fathom the heartbreak as they received the knock on their doors.
I encourage you to visit Stand For America and read about these precious individuals and their lives. Put a face with a name, just as I did, and they become more than just a number plastered across the television. They were mere babies in uniform.
Tears welled up in my eyes and a lump formed in my throat as I thought of their mothers and fathers. At a time like this, all we can do is pray for them. Their babies won’t be walking back through their doors again. There won’t be any more text messages or voicemails from them. The approaching holidays will hurt even more without their loved ones.
Please pray for the family and friends of these American soldiers. Please pray for our country as a whole and for our leadership to make wiser decisions than those made recently. May God comfort as only He can at this most difficult time as these families and the United States of America mourn.
LCpl David Espinoza, 20
SSgt Nicole Gee, 23
Sgt Taylor Hoover, 31
SSG Ryan Knauss, 23
Cpl Hunter Lopez, 22
LCpl Dylan Merola, 20
LCpl Rylee McCollum, 20
LCpl Kareem Nikoui, 20
Cpl Daegan Page, 23
Sgt Johanny Rosario, 25
Cpl Humberto Sanchez, 22
LCpl Jared Schmitz, 20
Corpsman Max Soviak, 22
Faith Over Fear
Yesterday morning as I was getting ready for work, I shifted through my jewelry to find the perfect piece. The message was certainly appropriate for these trying times we are all living in. Slipping the necklace over my neck and taking a glance in the mirror, I picked up my purse and headed out the door. “Faith Over Fear” … what a statement piece!
Later, at the office, I hurried to print our case progress logs for the morning meeting. As I took my seat, my boss looked right at me and asked,
“What does your necklace say?”
He is a very observant man, and any interesting piece of jewelry will catch his eye. Once before I wore a necklace that looked unique, as if it had a message written in another language. He asked me, then, if it had a significant meaning, but at that time, the necklace I had chosen to go with my outfit did not. Yesterday, though, the message could not have been more appropriate.
I clutched the circular piece in my fingers as I held it toward him so he could read it as well, then I said,
“Faith Over Fear”
As the words left my mouth and reached his ears, he smiled and gave a nod of approval adding in,
“Wow! That’s powerful!”
Indeed it is. When the media wants you to live in fear and feeds you all the negatives in the world, please choose faith over fear! Choose faith every time, just as I did thumbing through my necklaces that morning as if I was on a mission. Let choosing faith be the mission YOU are on daily.
The noise of the world can overwhelm you. At the moment, we have the potential war in Afghanistan staring us in the face. We are starting to see more Covid-19 numbers that continue to rise in the United States, despite the vaccine that has been made available to children age 12 right on up to adults of all ages. In addition to that, we have the everyday worries of our loved ones that have been stricken with cancer or any number of diseases. It seems there is no where to turn for comfort and hope. That is when it is even more important to choose FAITH, my love!
I’ve heard it said that the Bible is playing out right before our very eyes. For years growing up as a Pentecostal Holiness in the Church of God, we were told horror stories of what the last days would be like. Years and years people have speculated it was the “end times” we were living in. If we weren’t convinced of it before, crack open the Bible that has gotten dusty through the years and refresh your memory of what, exactly, the Bible says! Some people it is just a compilation of “stories,” while others believe these things that have been written will surely come to pass. No matter what side you are on today, please make sure your heart is right and you’ve accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior so you will be certain to have eternal life with Him in Heaven. Right now Christians are being persecuted, so what I’m asking seems like a tall order to some. But I beg you to get your heart right with God before it is too late. We never know what is going to happen next in this crazy world. I have urged my very own family to get right with God, if they aren’t (because no one can truly know our hearts and no one has the right to sit in judgement either). But this comes as a plea for my brothers and sisters all around the world because I care what happens to you!
Faith Over Fear, my dear ones.
All you need is faith as small as a mustard seed. Imagine what can happen if we all have faith! See Matthew17:20 where it talks about the mountains moving if you just had faith as small as a mustard seed!
Our ONLY hope in this world today is through Jesus Christ! And despite what is going on in the world today, God did not give us a spirit of fear! See 2 Timothy 1:7 for reassurance:
7ForGodhas not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.
When searching for scriptures to share regarding having faith over fear, I found a website that offers a free prayer guide. I encourage you to look into this, but even if you choose not to, know that God hears you. Whether your prayers are bold and authoritative, or whether you can barely utter the words with tears streaming down your cheeks, God HEARS you!! Even if you cannot speak at all, God knows your heart.
Instead of quoting all of the scriptures they provided, I’ll direct you once more to their site: GodTube
Be encouraged, and choose faith over fear!
Isaiah 41:13 – For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”
Questions That Should Not Be Asked After A Loss To Suicide
This year marked 20 years since my sister died by suicide. July 9, 2001 was one of the hardest days of my entire life. It was during that time God carried me, just like the Footprints In The Sand poem says.
When the community learns of such a tragic death, there are so many questions. Believe me, the family has tons more questions they would like to ask, but the ones that hold the answers are in Heaven (God & their loved ones). No one knows quite what to say or do. I thought I would offer some guidance, just as another friend did today. She lost her daughter in January of this year, and she and her husband are still trying to cope. We continue to rally around them and pray, knowing firsthand only God can comfort their hurting hearts. My friend shared this with a plea on her Facebook page, and I now share it with you:
The Questions You Shouldn’t Ask Me About My Son’s Suicide | The Mighty
I would also like to share another source for those struggling after such a horrific loss:
The Compassionate Friends Non-Profit Organization for Grief
One night I dreamed a dream.
I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.
When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
There was only one set of footprints.
I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life.
This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.
“Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way.
But I’m aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints.
I just don’t understand why, when I need You most, You leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.”
― Margaret Fishback Powers
