When your heart deploys
Meg
When your husband deploys, it feels as if part of your heart deploys along with him. After I heard the news that my husband would be leaving me and going overseas, I was in shock. I couldn’t concentrate on any one thing. I would go from one thing to the next, never really finishing the project in hand. I listened to music, cried, and thought in detail about how lonely this next chapter of married life would be without my husband by my side. I would be living in a town where I hardly knew anyone, with only my cat to keep me company at night. The time we had left before he left would be so scarce. I dwelt on the holidays and memories he would miss while he was away. I felt hurt, alone, and despondent.
After a few days of sadness, I had a decision to make. Would I wallow in grief and loneliness, or would I live my life to the fullest?
I began to realize that my life really wasn’t over. My husband still loved me, and needed me to be his encourager and manager of the household while he was away.
I still had a great purpose.
Looking toward the deployment, I honestly still didn’t know what it would be like, but just the same, I had hope. Hope that God would be my strength and help me through it. Hope that he would guard me each night and keep me safe as I slept all alone. Hope that my marriage would grow from this separation and come out stronger on the other end.
I knew that there was no way I would make it through this next lonely chapter on my own. I needed my Lord and Savior to be my rock. As one of my favorite Psalms begins, “God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Isn’t that a wonderful promise? That he will be our strength when we have none on our own. That was certainly the place I was at, as I looked toward a lonely deployment.
And that is why I want to encourage you through your owns struggles, whether they be a deployment, a family hardship, or just the stresses of life in general. Cling to God, my friends, and he will see you through the tough days ahead. As Psalm 62:6 says, “He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.”
After a few days of sadness, I had a decision to make. Would I wallow in grief and loneliness, or would I live my life to the fullest?
I began to realize that my life really wasn’t over. My husband still loved me, and needed me to be his encourager and manager of the household while he was away.
I still had a great purpose.
Looking toward the deployment, I honestly still didn’t know what it would be like, but just the same, I had hope. Hope that God would be my strength and help me through it. Hope that he would guard me each night and keep me safe as I slept all alone. Hope that my marriage would grow from this separation and come out stronger on the other end.
I knew that there was no way I would make it through this next lonely chapter on my own. I needed my Lord and Savior to be my rock. As one of my favorite Psalms begins, “God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Isn’t that a wonderful promise? That he will be our strength when we have none on our own. That was certainly the place I was at, as I looked toward a lonely deployment.
And that is why I want to encourage you through your owns struggles, whether they be a deployment, a family hardship, or just the stresses of life in general. Cling to God, my friends, and he will see you through the tough days ahead. As Psalm 62:6 says, “He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.”