There's no atheists in the foxhole.
You may have heard the famous phrase, “There’s no Atheists in the Foxhole,” which basically says that those facing war tend to seek for God’s supernatural hand of protection. This isn't universally the case, but the point that I am trying to make is that we in the military typically have a more serious mindset towards life. We understand the reality of losing our soldiers, airmen, and sailors to war, and it sobers us. It makes us appreciate life more, and causes us to seek the Lord in our lives.
It is this environment that my family has learned to minister to.
My family believes that the Lord has called all Christians to serve him in every aspect of our lives, from what we eat, to who we spend time with. The Bible says that whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we are supposed to do all to the glory of God.
So we believe that since God placed us into the military environment, it is our duty to serve Him by ministering to those there however we are able.
While we did our best to serve in every aspect of our lives, we were able to serve specifically to three different groups.
1. Ministry to other families
- Military families stick together. We all share common lives, yet different lifestyles. So to help each other along the tough road, we tend to support each other as much as we can - it’s in our nature. My family has been able to minister to an incredible amount of people over the years in many different ways. We’ve helped people with their yards, we’ve babysat kids, we’ve moved them in and out of new houses, etc. If we had a chance to help them, we would jump at it.
2. Ministry to active duty members
- There would not be a military environment if it weren’t for the men and women that serve our country in the military. They sacrifice so much to protect us and our nation, and they deserve our respect. My family has been able to minister towards these individuals by supporting their families, giving them simple blessings (like coffee in cold weather), and having them over for meals (especially the new folks who are still getting used to the military). You’d be surprised at how far a simple gesture of kindness can go.
3. Ministry toward folks of other nationalities
- Being in the military, we’ve traveled all over the world and met folks from many different countries. And each of these nationalities seem to have their own idea of what “Americans” act like - some think highly of us, but others not so much. But my family has been able to minister toward these folks and give them an example of what Christians act like, instead of only what Americans act like. We’ve made many friends, and I believe we will have these friendships for many years to come - as long as we keep in mind that we are here to minister to them, not the other way around.
So in conclusion
My family found ways to minister to others in our lives and to bring glory to God, whether it be to other families, active duty members, or people from other countries. We did our best to represent Christ to them, as we have been commanded to in the Bible.
So as we continue to minister to those in our mission field, I challenge you to minister to those in yours. The Lord has provided the field, it’s time to go harvest.
