‘And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. ‘ Romans 8:28(NLT)
Jessica’s husband, Andrew, came home with unexpected orders for a deployment. The military life was new to her, and this came as a shock. She knew that deployment was a reality in today’s military, but she really didn’t know what she would do without Andrew at home. After all, they had only been married six months.
Senior wives told Jessica this would be a real test of what she was made of, but she didn’t want to be tested. They also said there were ways she could thrive during deployment—and not just survive. Now that his return date was nearing she was able to look back and see ways in which she had grown during the deployment. But she wondered if the changes in her would be threatening to Andrew.
We have all heard the stories of divorce, discouragement, and depression as a result of deployments. Does that have to be your story? Of course, there are threats to your marriage as a result of geographic separation, but the truth is God can use hard times to strengthen your faith—and your marriage.
Reintegration can become a time of renewal—maybe even a time of “better.” Perhaps there have been lessons learned: relationships appreciated in new ways, spiritual growth bringing you closer to God and closer to your spouse, time to remember God’s faithfulness when busyness once reigned, awareness of new skills and confidence in abilities, new perspectives on how God can use pain to shape us into a better version of ourselves and closer to Christ-likeness.
The grace of redemption says, “I wouldn’t have chosen deployment, but because of God’s goodness and love for us, He has taken our experiences and made something good out of them.”
1. Why is Jessica fearful? How can she face those fears with truth?
2. How can God use your deployment for His glory?
from Reintegration After Deployment