I Want My Mind Back, Chaplain!

Not to long ago, I listened to the story of an anonymous Vet.  He had attempted suicide a number of times, and he was (at the time of the conversation) recovering from his last attempt.  Now he is not one of the Vets who has been slammed hard by the realities of multiple tours of duty to the war zone... not at all, though I can assure you that there are many. As I listened to him, his story of not being good enough rested on a number of things, but one frightening thing that jumped out of his conversation is a real contributor to his life malady:  His Faith.

Huh?  What are you talking about Chaplain?  I am talking about exactly what I said.  One dominant feature of this man's story that has wrecked his life comes from his faith.  Oh... He could tell you the very day and hour he was "saved."  He could tell you where he was "saved."  He filled all the squares; yet he could not tell you of a single hour where he had peace.  For me this is a significant disconnect.

You see "being saved," for him, came with an unbelievable set of do's and don'ts.  No one could possibly ever reach the bar and succeed, least of all (according to him) him.  So his life became a life of striving instead of thriving.  His became a life of emptiness instead of wholeness and holiness.  His life became a life marked by moral failure though he did fairly well financially.  And his life became a life of deep intense anxiety rather than a deep calming peace.

There are 3 paths to take for many people on a spiritual journey:  Legalism that leads to difficult and painful "religion."  Licentiousness which lead to no life at all and enslavement to passions.  And then there is liberty that is found in the person of Jesus who allows the grace to flow and bring newness and life. He is learning about the former everyday, one day at a time.

My young Vet is now walking away from the legalism that has beaten him into the ground.  He is finding a new way to believe in "The truth that sets you free."  He is learning... one step at a time that "if the LORD makes you free you are free indeed."  He has realized, since the cross that, "It is for freedom that Christ has set you free."  Sadly, no one seems to have told him about this good news that God gives him "power, love and a sound mind." Finally he learning to stand firm and not let himself be enslaved by a yoke of slavery.  He is getting his mind back and his life back, but he has a fairly long path to travel. Y'all pray for this Vet I call Anonymous.  Then...

Be Blessed 2-day ... Especially 2-day!

SoJourner