Onward Christian Soldiers

As a veteran, it amuses me to hear the noble reasons that civilians attach to military service. Sure, as young kids, we may have originally signed up for God, country, and family, but in the end, you don't do the job for any of these things. You do the job for the guy next to you. You do it because you and he share a bond...a bond of living on the edge of death, together, on a day-to-day basis. Each of you lives with the knowledge that the other might have to be called upon to give the ultimate sacrifice. It is not fear of death, but instead, a recognition of the willingness to give up life that bonds you.
If, by chance, the "other guy" does end up maimed or dead, there is a realization that your life is not your own. Many combat veterans have referred to themselves as "dead men." This is hard to understand for civilians. What they are trying to make understood is the fact that they should be dead, if not for the actions of another. In living, they have a debt that cannot be repaid. The responsibility that one assumes when another has given his life is too great to be repaid through any act of service. One can only live his life with the vitality, integrity, and honesty demanded to remember and honor such a selfless act.
As a Christian, the parallels in what I learned as a soldier are striking. Over and over, the Bible refers to us as soldiers. In Ephesians 6, we are told to wear the "armor of God." We are told to gird ourselves with truth, to wear the breastplate of righteousness, to don the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. As Christians, we do fight in a war. It is a war fought not for lives, but for the souls of the children of God. And, as in all wars, there is the "other guy" fighting next to you. The difference is, you already owe the debt, because He has already made the sacrifice. Don't try to pay it back with acts of service because it can't be done. Instead, like the combat soldier, try to live your life in such a way as to honor Him.