I remember the first time I really felt alone in this military life. We had moved to Florida, almost twelve hours from our families, and I hadn’t met anyone despite failed attempts at wives groups on base. Besides that, I had a new baby and a yearning to have some deep connections with people. It wasn’t until about a year of being there that slowly, God began weaving together a tapestry of lives. First, there was an amazing church He led us to. Then, He brought us a couple of single Marines and Sailors down the street, who were willing to clean the kitchen in exchange for home cooked meals. After that, He opened the floodgates of fellow military spouses through simply obeying Him when He called me to start a Bible study in my home.
On one particular day, that had no significance in terms of a party or celebration, I found myself scrounging to prepare a meal for roughly six Marines, one sailor, two toddlers, a Marine wife who called a couple days before asking if she could stay with us as she was house hunting and her mother. While some of the men sat on the couch playing video games, a couple of the guys were moving tables and chairs from the dining room into the eat kitchen. A hodge podge meal was thrown together and a hodge podge crew sat down to eat it. Like Jesus with the fishes and loaves, miraculously there was enough food to feed this group and then some. My front door had resembled that of a department store or a hotel, rotating around with a variety of people stopping by for various reasons throughout the day and the meal. The funny part was, this was a typical day in our house. There was always too much food, always unexpected guests, and always a feeling of home away from all of our “homes.”
God’s word says that He is, “a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families…” Psalm 68:5-6 NIV
It is easy to become saddened or discouraged when our military journey takes us away from our family of origin. But, God says He sets the lonely in families. Sometimes we are born into them, but better yet, sometimes we can choose them. What a wonderful blessing from a wonderful Creator!
As we settle into a year at our latest duty station, this time just two hours from our parents, I am amazed yet again as God has set me in a new family. Again, He has given me an amazing church, great neighbors and a plethora of military spouses that I know I could call on for anything. God knew how important my new family would be as my husband deployed a few months after our arrival.
Have you found yourself struggling with the difficulty of being away from your family of origin? Have you considered that God is ready and willing to set you into a family right where you are? What have you done to seek out His promise? Pray that God will build your family wherever you are. Then, start investing in the lives of those around you and before you know it, you will find yourself with a kinship that will outlast any military contract!
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