God Strong

God Strong

In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. Psalm 18:29

My office in Ashland City is perhaps the closest private practice to Fort Campbell, so many of the military families choose us for their health care.

Bo was stationed there when he came to see me. He’d grown up on a farm in Middle-of-Nowhere, Alabama, and in many ways, he reminded me of myself at his age.

On the day he turned eighteen, Bo had joined the US Army, which gave him a measure of independence and freedom from the boyhood chains that tied him to the farm.

“I had to get out,” he said. “I wanted to see something other than the hood of that Ford tractor. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life with the smell of diesel choking me to death.”

“But you’re smoking unfiltered cigarettes?” I asked. “Those will do the same thing.”

“My uncle used to smoke unfiltered, and I stole cigarettes from him when I was a kid. I guess I got hooked.”

“Bo, you’ve done what—two or three tours of duty in Iran and Afghanistan?”

“Actually, it’s been four. Two in each country.”

“So, tell me what’s going on.”

“Well, I know the big picture of why we’re there and what we’re doing. But the daily grind is getting to me. I can’t seem to sleep, and I keep dreaming that I am deployed instead of here with my family.”

As we continued our conversation, it was obvious that Bo was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but coping as well as he could. We set him up with a team of counselors on the base to help him understand what the rest of his life’s journey could look like and what God originally intended it to be.

Bo had already defeated a foreign army, and now with God’s help, he was going to scale the wall back to good health. My prayer for him was that God would give him the will, strength, and fortitude to make it to the other side. Even those who are Army strong need to depend on our stronger God.

TODAY’S RX

If you struggle with the aftereffects of trauma, enlist the help of those who can help you return to full health.

Lord, I know I will not be defeated when I put all my trust in you. Help me to seek you with all my heart and depend on you for strength when difficult situations arise.