Lean on me

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” – Ecclesiastes 4:14

Much has happened recently and many thoughts have been on my mind, so I ask you all to bear with me on my scattered thoughts within this posting. Hopefully, I will be able to tie them all together.

First, I would like to mention that the 6th year anniversary of the Iraq War just passed by last Thursday (March 19th). I would like to call to mind not only the thousands of American men and women who have lost their lives, but also the millions of Iraqis who have lost their lives as a result of the American war in Iraq. I hope that all of you reading this may be able to take a moment to pray for an end to the bloodshed in Iraq and elsewhere across the globe.

Just the other day I was watching the last few episodes of Band of Brothers on television. For those of you who don’t know, Band of Brothers is an HBO series that was created following the true story of Easy Company from the 101st Airborne Division in World War II. This company saw their first bit of action on D-Day and fought through the bloodiest battles of the war. One of the battles was the Battle of Bastogne. This battle took place in the Ardennes mountain range around Christmas time and the ground was covered with snow. These soldiers were surrounded on all sides by Germans, lived out of holes which they dug in the ground and were constantly being fired on by artillery which they could not see. On top of this, they had no supplies and many were without food, clothes, and ammo to defend themselves. In this episode it was very clear that the soldiers limits were being pushed and many were breaking down not only physically but mentally. The only place they found warmth and comfort was with each other. They spent their time paired by two’s cuddling in their “foxholes” trying to keep each other warm and telling each other stories about their friends and family back home.

Every hour or so a new round of explosions from artillery fire would go off around them and last for 10 minutes or so. After each round, more soldiers would be found dead when the firing was done. It was the soldiers who lost their buddy which suffered most. They were left alone in the cold, silent woods by themselves sitting in a hole with death all around them. The commanders and other soldiers did their best to comfort each other, but it was not wise for them to leave their own foxholes to check on others, because the bombing could happen at any moment.

Fast-forward to today’s war in Iraq. Our soldiers are no longer fighting this sort of trench war-fare and the coldness is replaced with unbearable heat, but one thing still remains, the importance of “brotherhood” within the armed forces. Last January the Army lost 24 soldiers due to suicide. That same, month 16 deaths were also reported due to combat. This means that more soldiers died due to suicide, than combat. According to CBS, 120 veterans committed suicide per week in 2005 and the numbers have grown each year. No one knows the exact reason why this is happening, but a large amount of them are soldiers dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. The next question is, “How do we stop this?” In the bible passage above I find a small answer: Friendship. In the bible, this passage particularly, the importance of friendship and companionship is pointed out. When a person goes through a rough time, they need another person to help bring them out of it. When soldiers comes home, they need family and friends to help bring them back to normalcy, to help them put to past the things they may have done in the war and to notice once again the beauty of life, most importantly, the beauty found in each and every individual. This beauty can only be found through the love of someone close.

Lastly, we should recall Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane the night he was betrayed. All he asked for was his apostles, his closest friends, to stay awake with him and pray. At this moment in the garden Jesus was being crucified spiritually, and coming to terms with the fact that he was to be crucified in order to carry out his fathers will. In this most trying hour all he asked for was his friends to be awake and nearby.

This week I will be thanking God for the friends and family which he has provided me. All of you have shaped my life in one way or another and without all of you I would not be as strong as I am today. I am also greatly thankful for Jess, my closest friend, and partner in my journey to be more like Christ. Finally, I would like to thank Lance, Felicia and Danny for coming out here to Hattiesburg and visiting us. It was extremely nice and refreshing to be able to spend some time with friends and just relax.

Peace and Love,
Jordan and Jess