Serving

As I was working in my garden the other day , I got to thinking about a concept that I really messed up on recently. That concept is “blooming where you’re planted”. I was put into a situation where I could have jumped on several awesome opportunities and I didn’t. The Lord really convicted me about them and I wanted to share them so others can learn.

The Lord put me back in my parents’ home for about six months this past year. Back in my old church, back with old friends. I had the opportunity to serve again in my old ministries but yet I didn’t want to take advantage of that. In my thinking, I was no longer a member of the church so I wasn’t going to participate in the ministries there. I hung back and didn’t volunteer to sing in the choir or work in the nursery or anything! Two ministries that I really enjoyed while I was living at home before. As I got closer to the end of my six months at home the Lord really started working on my heart about “blooming where I am planted”, no matter how long I am planted there. I was missing out on one of my favorite things to do: serving others. Because of my selfishness, I was not being a good example to anyone around me. How did I expect God to use me when I wasn’t even willing? He really set me to thinking about life in the military. How often would we get stationed somewhere and wouldn’t know how long we would be there? Was I going to squander opportunities then too? Would I be one of those people that were always saying “Well, we won’t be here for long so I guess we can’t get involved”? I didn’t want to be!

Now, as I jump with both feet into the ministries of our new church, I want to always remember what the Lord taught me about being willing to serve and “bloom where I’m planted”. Paul was content in whatever place God put him in. (Philippians 4:11-12 (ESV): Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.) So why shouldn’t I be content that He has placed me in a certain spot to be a ministry to those around me? 

~Leah Borg

Flexibility

When my husband and I met while we were in college I quickly learned that the Marine Corps was an important part of his life. He had already finished a good portion of his training by the time we started dating, so I didn't get to understand a lot of the lifestyle before I jumped in headfirst. Ben asked me if I was willing to be the wife of a Marine and I said yes! I knew that I was willing to go wherever he believed the Lord would lead us on our journey.

A big part of living a life in the military is being flexible in many areas. One area is where you end up moving...it could be anywhere in the world! My husband and I learned that quickly when we moved to Japan. :) Another area is our daily schedule. I am a big planner and like to know what is coming up as much as possible. That changed dramatically after we got married and the simple things in life changed for us. I didn't know when dinner would need to be on the table as Ben didn't know when he would be home. Little things like that make a big difference in planning out the day. In the Marine Corps the motto is Semper Fidelis - Always Faithful. Another saying that was introduced to me early on was similar, but very helpful. Semper Gumby - Always Flexible. This is a lesson that I'm still learning, but I feel that I've made some improvement on it thus far.

Flexibility is a good thing to have in your toolbox. And yet it is also important to have the wisdom to know when we cannot be flexible. Know what you believe and why you believe it! That way when people ask you or you have an opportunity to share what you believe you are prepared. God is not flexible in what His Word says. It is the Truth and it doesn't change from day to day. Isaiah 40:8 - "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand for ever."

What are some ways that you have had to be flexible since becoming a military wife?

~ Elissa

I Said No, God Said Yes (Pt. 2)

I told God “I hate being alone” and God said to me “I’m sending your husband away for three months with no communication.” Talk about feeling alone in the world! I was 7 months pregnant when my husband left for Boot Camp. I was pretty sure at that time that he wouldn’t be back until after our first child was born. As a general rule, I don’t like being alone at all! Even if I’m sick and contagious, I want someone to be with me. It’s just the way I’ve always been. I definitely didn’t want to have my baby “alone” either! To have your husband leave you at such a critical juncture in your life is quite unnerving. During the three months he was gone, I prayed a lot for wisdom and peace about our decision. I began thinking of deployments and training periods and all the other times my husband could possibly be gone. It was so easy to let my mind go to all the worst possible scenarios. But I had to keep coming back to the fact that God was always with me and I was never truly alone. He was giving me a wonderful baby that would, for the next 18 years at least, always be with me. I was never truly going to be alone again and God was providing for that in His perfect way. Military wives go through things “alone” all the time but those of us who trust in the Lord are never truly alone and that is such a comfort to me.

This may seem silly, but I told God “I don’t like going to the doctor” so God said “I have 9 months of doctors appointments lined up for you.” I have never really liked doctor’s offices and even in college I would ask my boyfriend, now my husband, to go just to sit in the waiting room with me. That to me is the hardest part, sitting in that cold room waiting to be called back to see the doctor. Most of these appointments I had to attend alone. At the beginning of my pregnancy, my poor husband was working a lot trying to provide for our family so he couldn’t go and at the end of the pregnancy he was gone for training. For those of you who have had babies you know that most of your doctor’s appointments occur at the end of the pregnancy, so he missed the majority of them while he was in Boot Camp. During all those appointments, the Lord gave me strength and courage to get through them and to have a very healthy pregnancy! He gave me a wonderful friend who also was pregnant that I could share all my experiences with. I couldn’t believe how the Lord worked it out so that twice my husband was able to be off for my appointments! Of the two times he was able to be there the first was when we heard the baby’s heartbeat for the first time and the second was the ultrasound where we saw our baby for the first time. God kept reminding me that there are military wives everywhere who do things like doctor’s appointments alone every day and I’m not the only one.

The final time I want to share with you is when I told God that I trusted Him and He proved to me that I was still learning what trust truly is. After my husband left for Boot Camp, I kept telling people that I was fine and I was trusting God for whatever came my way while Ryan was gone. But after a series of circumstances and conversations I realized that I was saying what I wanted people to hear. It wasn’t truly what was in my heart. It wasn’t until God withheld some things from me that I realized that I didn’t trust that He was protecting or taking care of me. Our pastor in Texas had recently preached a message on needing only God. His point was that we don’t need money, we don’t need insurance, and we don’t need a spouse to be secure in this life. We need only HIM! Those points in our pastor’s message hit home so hard during Boot Camp. While my husband was gone, we didn’t see any of the money that he was making. It was put into a bank account that neither of us had access to until after he graduated. Only then did God teach me that I don’t need money to trust Him. He had allowed us to build up a small amount of savings, an amount that was perfect for the time my husband was gone. I also didn’t have insurance for 3 months because I did not have Power of Attorney to get my military ID. Again, God proved that he was my Great Physician and He was taking better care of me than any doctor ever could. Of course, my husband was gone and unreachable for most of the time except by letters that basically took a week to get to him. That taught me that I don’t “need” my husband, I need only God.

God has proved Himself so faithful in my life and I look forward to how He will continue to teach me more in the future. I love being a part of the Marine family and I know this is where God has our family for the time being. 

~Leah Borg

I Said No, God Said Yes (Pt. 1)

As I was thinking back over my husband and I’s journey into the “land of the leathernecks” I realized that several times I told God “No, I would never do that” and God said to me “O ye of little faith”. It started off with me telling God I didn’t want to marry a Marine. My view of the Marine Corps was that they were all stuck up and snobby about their “lofty” position, even though I failed to see it as such. Most Marines will even admit to being stuck up and snobby because they think they are the best. I tend to agree with them now but not when I was telling God no. I didn’t like most of the Marines that I knew, and now as I look back I realize I didn’t know that many. I didn’t want my husband to become one of “them”. When my husband first started considering the military, he was looking at the Navy and I was alright with that. I gave God my stamp of approval on that and was excited about becoming a Navy wife. However, as the months dragged on while we waited for a job opening, my husband said he couldn’t leave our growing family hanging with no substantial job in the immediate future and he started looking to other branches of service. I was currently 6 months pregnant. He had come to the conclusion, after much prayer and thought, that the military was where God was leading him but not necessarily to the Navy. He wanted to talk with the Marine recruiters and I almost said out loud “No way!” After my own thought and prayer I realized that this may very well be where the Lord wanted my husband. I went with him to the recruiters and he left there saying “I want to do some PT with them and run the IST and see how I do.” He did such a good job and enjoyed it so much that he came home knowing this is what God wanted him to pursue. After that, the Lord clearly paved the way for him and once things got rolling, they haven’t stopped! Again, the Lord was making His way clear to us and it was definitely different from mine!

The next time I remember verbally saying no was when we were deciding who would be there with me for the birth of our first child. I wanted it to just be me and my husband to enjoy this miracle. Even though I knew my mom wanted to be there I said no and she decided she wasn't going to come until after our baby was born. Because of the uncertainties of babies coming, she wasn’t sure whether she should book a flight for my due date or wait until we called and said I was in labor. She decided on waiting until she got the call so she most definitely wouldn’t have been there for the birth. But, with everything falling into place so quickly with the Marine Corps my husband most definitely wasn't going to be there...he would be in Boot Camp far, far away so now God was telling me "Yes, Leah will be there with you." From this I was learning that Gods ways are not always our ways and He always has a much better plan in mind for us. What only He knew at that time was that my husband would make it back in time for our daughter’s birth and with a few hours to spare! 

                Before we were even pregnant with Aurora, I had told God how I wanted things laid out. We were going to start our family after we had been married for 2 years. That would give us enough time to do what we wanted, which was mostly taking a couple vacations just by ourselves. We would also be able to pay back most, if not all, of my husband’s college loans and then we would be more financially secure and feel more like it was time to start a family. Again, I was telling God “No, I don’t want a child yet” but God was saying “I have a different plan in mind for you.” As I look into my beautiful daughter’s face, I realize that His plan is always best but so often it doesn’t match ours at all. We were not expecting to be pregnant 7 months after we got married but God had something different in mind. 

~Leah Borg

Be Strong

When I was a senior in highschool my older brother joined the Army. We were very close and
have always gotten along, so it was a difficult adjustment to have him away from me. I was
so proud of him serving our country, but scared, too, because we were at war. One day my
dad brought home a flyer from work that showed a soldier on his knees praying with a caption
underneath him that said: "Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power." [Ephesians 6:10] I
treasured that verse and always ended my letters to my brother with it. I did not know then how
much I would need this verse in years to come.

I am now married to a United States Marine Corps officer and we are learning everyday how to be
ever-so-flexible with the military. We've had so many fun adventures together and being part of
the military has been quite an experience. With the joys and blessings of being a military family
also comes difficulties and hardships which non-military families do not understand.

A few months ago, our church in Anacortes, WA sang a song, "Be Strong in the Lord" and it
reminded me of the praying soldier and Ephesians 6:10. My husband and I were going through a
particularly uncertain time and found that song and verse encouraging and convicting. The verse
commands us to "be strong." Not weak, not anxious, not fearful, but strong. Why? Because the
Lord is mighty, powerful, and sovereign.

I don't know what each of you are going through and where you are in life, but I do know we can
all take comfort in knowing our almighty, powerful God is in control and everything that happens
in your life, the blessings and the pain, are all part of His perfect plan for you. It is my prayer that
you take comfort in these precious truths from our Lord.


~Laura Egerdahl