Sitting down this afternoon to do homework, I started flipping through some television shows that I had recorded and wanted to sift through to see if there were any I wanted to watch. There was a program about women vets.....I was astonished at how many of our women veterans are homeless, have had their children taken from them, and return to.....silence from us.
One of the vets shared how people will show up from miles around to attend the funeral of a returning soldier...but not show up for the ones that return to months in the hospital or needing other care. As a woman and as a widow of a veteran, I hurt for these women.
There was a woman on the show that had lost both legs in an explosion.....she was in the hospital in excruciating pain and felt she was going to die. She watched the clock, willing herself to make it through 60 seconds at a time.....even though she had been transfered back to the US, her hair was matted with blood, she was still covered with dirt and sand from the combat area. A soldier entered the room, took off her arm, and looked at her. She told her she knew she was hurting and understood that, but she was going to make it....and could she "stand for her"? This soldier washed the woman's hair...and for 5 days --through all her pain--when she looked around, this woman was there..."standing for her".
The veteran situation needs our prayers and our voices....and action.
But it also made me think.....how many women do we come across in our lives that need someone just to "stand for her"...... There are women who are harshly judged and we don't know their stories....there are women who are angry and spew such ugliness, but we don't know their story.....how would their lives have been different if someone was willing to "stand for her"? We have women who have lost....homes, husbands, children...health....and after the intial shock when people begin to drift away.....they just need to know that someone will "stand for them".
Such a simple, yet powerful thing......knowing someone is standing for you!!! As Christians....what a powerful, amazing thing to be able to not only stand for someone, but to be able to place their hands into the hands of one that Stood For Them 2000 years ago. Knowing Christ stood for us on the cross and took our place.....we as Christians are called to "stand" for those around us.....
"For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son...."
Understand that "standing for" someone doesn't mean that we fix them, offer our opinions on what they could have done differently, how they failed.....it is about loving them, praying for them, reaching out with compassion, and more than that not just lip service but putting feet to our concerns....finding ways to let them know that we truly do care. For that soldier, the simple act of having someone care to just wash her hair.....it sparked a change in how life looked around her.
Do you have something that I can "stand with you" for? Just email me or post your prayer request.... or just your thoughts on this.....
Hugs,
Who can you "stand for" today?
ReplyDeleteAmen! What a beautiful post. First, it is a pity how we treat our veterans. They give their lives only to be treated poorly. I wish I had seen the show it sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I love the idea of standing for other women. It's so important! Women need us to stand in the gap for them despite our own hurts and failures. We need to be the body of Christ. Thanks for that great reminder!